THE LITTLE GKEEN HERON 
Butorides striaiits javamcus (Hvrsf.) 
M a hy nam e :—Pu cl i ong . 
Description : — In sptte of its small size this is a typical 
heron in ajipearance with long beak, neck and lef^s and on 
account of its characteristic plumage it cannot well be mistaken 
for any other local bird. There is so little difference between 
the sexes that one description for the adults will be sufficient. 
The head^ neck and underparts are mostly ashy-g^rey but 
the top of the bead is glossy black. The back is covered with 
long plume-like f^^rey or greenish feathers ; the wings are very 
dark green, the wing-coverts edged with pale, almost whitish, 
buff. 
The irirfes are yellow: the bill black above and greenish- 
yellow below; the bare skii; on the face greenish. The legs 
and toes ai*e yellow with a wash of green on the front. The 
totai length is about 16 to 18 inches and the wing measures 
approximately 7 inches. 
Immature birds are rather different in appearance being 
streaked below with white and brown, this streaking being 
particularly notic?^able on the front of the neck- Tlie back 
is i^reyish-brown and if the Ijird is old enough perhaps mixed 
with a few of the elongated grey feathers of the adult plumage, 
'PiiG wing-quills have white spots at the end and the wing- 
coverts are adorned with light spots as well as light margins. 
DistribtitwH'. — Very few birds will give us as much 
difficulty in the matter of defining their geographical range as 
this small heron. As we know it in Singapore the species is 
found in Ceylon and India, South China, and thence south 
through the Malay Peninsula f who re it is a common bird) and 
east to the Philippines and Celeljes, etc. The matter is 
complicated by the fact that to the north of this range, in Amur- 
land, Japan and China the little green heron is also foimd 
as a resident bird but in his northern home he is slightly larger 
and differs in a few other details^ and naturalists therefore call 
f83] 
