Japanese Night-heron

Japanese Night-heron (Tokyo)

The Japanese Night Heron (Mizogoi) is a species of heron that breeds exclusively in Japan (although there have been recorded breeding instances in Taiwan and South Korea in the past). From the 1960s to the 2000s, its population declined, and at one point was estimated to be around 1,000 birds; however, it is now estimated that a larger number remain. According to the Ministry of the Environment’s Fifth Red List published in 2026, its conservation status has been downgraded from Endangered (Category II) to Near Threatened. However, as its habitat is close to human settlements and it is therefore susceptible to human impact, and as it is almost entirely nocturnal—making sightings rare—and its rarity makes it particularly vulnerable to negative impacts from wildlife photographers, the utmost care must be taken when observing it.

Although the Japanese Night Heron is widely regarded as a bird that is rarely encountered nowadays, a look back at history reveals that it was once a very familiar sight to the Japanese people of old. During the Heian period (8th–11th centuries), it was known as ‘Ozume-dori’ (the ‘Strong Woman Bird’). When this bird is on the alert, it stretches its neck and faces straight ahead, adopting a camouflaged posture. People at the time perceived this as a bird that ‘never takes its eyes off you, staring intently without moving a muscle’; it is said that they associated this appearance with the ‘persistent, strong-willed and fearsome spirit of a woman’ or her ‘obsessive attachment’. In stark contrast, in rural areas during the Edo period (17th–19th centuries), the Little Bittern was known as ‘Minakuchi-mamori’ and was cherished in a completely opposite manner—not as a ‘monstrous creature’, but as a ‘gracious spirit bird’ that brought bountiful harvests to the rice paddies.

At present, we have not yet identified any locations where this species can be observed regularly and reliably; however, should such a site be discovered in the future, we are considering incorporating it into our tours.