The Rufous-bellied Heron is a medium-sized heron with a dark slate-gray head and back and chestnut wings and belly. Its yellow bill and legs are also conspicuous.
The male has a dark blue-black head and slate-gray upper body with chestnut wings and underparts. The female is duller, with a buff streak on the chin and front of the neck.
It forages in seasonally flooded grasslands, reed swamps, and vegetation along water. Usually feeding alone, it walks slowly for worms, insects, crustaceans, frogs, and fish.
It nests colonially in reeds, trees, or shrubs, sometimes with other bird species. Breeding follows local water conditions;where river flooding raises water levels, nesting can extend into the dry season.
Immatures resemble females, with buff-brown streaking on the sides of the head, neck, and upper breast.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.