[4] The white-eared night heron was collected in Hainan by John Whitehead.

[6] The female is similar to the male, but its head and neck are less distinctly patterned.

[4] The juvenile is similar to the female, but has a browner plumage and buff spots.

[4] This heron is found in southern China and northern Vietnam.

[4][7] Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical forests and rivers.

[9] In China, hatching has been observed in May, with an incubation period of about 25 days.

A study found that fledging occurred more than two months after hatching, longer than most other species of heron.

It is threatened by deforestation, hunting, overfishing and water pollution.