Adult Bird:
The dorsal surface is dark grayish-brown. The crown is the same color but darker. Crest feathers have white tips. The under-neck has numerous long, pointed feathers with white inner vanes and grayish-ash outer vanes. Some long shoulder feathers are the same color as above, but others have pale gray tips. The primary flight feathers and tail feathers are grayish-black. The ventral plumage is grayish-brown, with slightly paler tips and a white stripe along the feather shaft. The flanks, axillaries, thighs, and undertail are gray.
Juvenile Bird:
The chin, throat, and the front of the neck are pale white. The remaining parts of the head and neck are dirty buff, the front of the lower neck is slightly dusky, with some indistinct, pale stripes on the sides. The dorsal surface is dark brown with pale buff feather edges. The wing and tail feathers are dark brown. The ventral surface is buffy-brown with numerous pale white stripes. The eyes are yellow or orange-yellow. The beak is black with a pale yellow base on the lower mandible. The legs are black, with the lower part being pale yellow.
Measurements:
Wing: 436 – 480 mm; Tail: 170 mm; Tarsus: 165 mm; Bill: 160 mm.
Distribution:
The Sumatran Heron is distributed in Myanmar, Malaysia, Australia, Cambodia, and Indochina.
Vietnam: This species is common in Tra Vinh.