說明/ 普遍留鳥，全長約58–65 公分，棲息於池塘、湖泊或河岸等區域。因其偏夜行習性而得名，雌雄鳥羽色相同。食物主要為水生的魚、蛙、昆蟲與甲殼類等，集中於夜間覓食，清晨及黃昏也很活躍。白天常將頸部縮起，單足棲立於樹林中，有時會聚成大群。繁殖期約略3 到6 月，與黃頭鷺、小白鷺等群集於樹林或防風林上端築巢，形成鷺鷥林，數量極為可觀。鳴叫聲為粗啞之「呱– 呱–」聲。（邱莉雯攝）
A common resident bird, 58-65 cm in length, inhabiting ponds, lakes, or river banks. Named for its nocturnal habits, both sexes have the same body color. It primarily feeds on fish, frogs, insects and crustaceans at night, dawn and dusk. During the day, it often curls its neck and stands on one leg in forests, sometimes in large groups. It breeds from March to June, clustering together with Cattle Egrets and Small Egrets and building its nests in forest canopies or windbreaks in considerate numbers. It makes a “quark-quark” call. (Photo courtesy of Qiu Li-wen)