A heron often seen in rice fields, intermediate in size between the Little and Great Egrets.
It is larger than the Little Egret and smaller than the Great Egret, with a shorter bill. In summer plumage, straight plumes grow from its back.
It mainly arrives in Kyushu and Honshu for summer; some birds stay through winter in warmer areas.
It gives a rough call transcribed in Japanese as “gowaa”.
In breeding condition the bill is black, sometimes with yellow at the base. Outside breeding it is dull yellow with a dark tip.
The gape reaches below the eye without extending behind it. The legs and feet are black, and breeding plumes grow on the upper breast and lower back.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.