A small heron (body length 18-20 cm, wingspan 75-90 cm), almost identical in size to the yellow heron, to which it looks like. In all outfits, it differs from the yellow heron in a darker, dark brown back and shoulder feathers, which sharply contrast with the white wings in flight. In a sitting bird, the head is lighter than the back; this is especially noticeable in birds in adult plumage. The beak, unlike the yellow heron, is not blue, but yellow with a dark top. The color of males and females tend to be similar. Last but not the least, small heron are widespread in the areas of Pakistan, Nepal, India, Srilanka, and the Maldives.