This stocky heron typically keeps its neck tucked in. Adults are a pale grayish color overall with a black cap and back, and have striking red eyes. Juveniles are quite different, being brown and streaky with yellow eyes. They are often seen crouched under overhanging branches during the day. This heron hunts for fish, frogs, and other prey primarily at night. In areas where it overlaps with the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, you can distinguish it by the large teardrop-shaped white spots on the wing coverts, which are absent in the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron.