A Pair of Malayan Night Heron in NCKU

Today, I was so excited to see a pair of Malayan Night Heron in NCKU (National Cheng Kung University) campus, Tainan City, Taiwan. It was my first experience of seeing a pair of Malayan Night Heron feeding on the same ground and territory.

But, I have a problem to distinguish the male and the female, I can't even find a good and detailed reference about the differences. However, I noticed one of the birds has very bright blue lores (the space between the eye and bill) and striking plumage as compared to the another one. I strongly believe that the one with the brighter color on the lores and striking plumage is the male, while the other one with pale lores and plumage must be the female. Do you agree?

or could it be an adult with the striking lores and the immature with pale lores? I believe these birds are territorial birds, then why both can feed on the same ground if they are not a breeding pair?

Please comment if you have any idea or you have encountered a pair of Malayan Night Heron, or know how to distinguish the male and the female of this species of bird.

Click HERE to view the Part-2 of this blog.
and click HERE to listen to their call which was recorded at night in NCKU.

View my other blogs about the Malayan Night Heron:
Malayan Night Herons in northern part of Taiwan
Juvenile Malayan Night Heron spotted in Singapore Botanic Gardens

Boon Eu, 7-March-2011, Tainan, Taiwan.