This small heron waits motionless for fish in shallow water. It sometimes drops twigs or insects onto the water to lure fish.
Adults have a deep green back and crown with a chestnut neck and breast. Juveniles are browner, with pale neck streaks and buff spots and feather edging on the wings.
It waits for fish in shallow, vegetated water. It may place a twig or insect on the surface to attract fish.
The usual clutch is three to five eggs, with an incubation period of 19–21 days. Both sexes brood and feed the chicks.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.