The Bonin nankeen night heron was described by Nicholas Aylward Vigors in 1839 based on reports by Heinrich von Kittlitz and by Captain Frederick William Beechey from the British ship HMS Blossom from 1828.

In contrast to the nankeen night heron it had a thicker and straighter bill.

Its habitat consisted of beaches and marshes where it nested in low trees.

The Bonin nankeen night heron became extinct only 50 years after its description.

However, collectors fascinated by its plumes may also have been responsible; birds shot for use in millinery (a burgeoning business in contemporary Japan) would not have ended up in scientific collections.