English: Black-crowned Night Heron, Black-capped Night Heron
Russian: Кваква, Обыкновенная кваква 
German: Nachtreiher
French: Bihoreau gris
Mongolian: Ногоовор зашин
Japanese: ゴイサギ(Goi-sagi)

Body length: 58-65 cm
Wing span: 90-100 cm

Habitat: Breeds colonially at marshes, ponds and riversides. Summer visitor, winters in Africa. Rare visitor to mainly S Britain & Ireland. Food fish, frogs, insects. Active mainly at night, roosting communally in trees during daylight. Nests in trees, sometimes reedbeds; nest is platform of sticks.

Identification: Short-billed, very stocky, medium-sized heron. In flight, has compact, stumpy-ended outline (feet not much noticeable) with slightly raised body and drooping bill and stiff wingbeats. Most often seen at dawn or dusk, flying to and from roosts, but not always strictly nocturnal, and daytime sightings not infrequent.

• Adult: Unmistakable in good views, but in flight often looks all grey (black back often difficult to see). Legs dull pinkish-yellow, reddish when breeding.
• Juvenile/1st–winter: Brown and buff with prominent white spotting (gradually lost). 2nd winter:  like adult but crown ad back faded grey-brown, not black.