open. Its diet consists of soil animals on the forest floor, i.e. earthworms, snails, and small insects. The heron has been known to use its thick beak to dig earthworms and land snails out of the ground. The heron seems to selectively feed on more mature snails in order to avoid accidentally digesting the softer shells of immature snails. Although most of its nutrition comes from the forest floor, the heron hunts crustaceans and small fish in shallow water along the shorelines of swamps and rice paddies. Migration The Japanese night heron is usually found in the Philippines during the winter, but it can also be found in other East Asian countries like Korea, southern China, and Russia. It arrives at its breeding grounds in Japan between March and June, and it leaves between September and November for the Philippines. The Japanese night heron tends to migrate in a mixed flock of more than 1,000 other herons, including the black-crowned night heron. The Japanese night heron is a highly migratory species and has some dispersal tendencies. During its migration, it has been reported to sometimes overshoot its destination, the Philippines, and arrive at Indonesia and Palau instead. Breeding There has only been one report of the Japanese night heron breeding in Taiwan. Normally, it breeds in Japan from May to July, depending on when it arrives at the breeding grounds. The heron nests up to 20 meters high in tall trees, such as cedar, cypress, and oak trees. It does so alone, rarely in close proximity to another heron for 17 to 20 days. The flimsy nests are made out of sticks stacked on top of each other with an abundance of leaves, laid horizontally on a branch. Eggs are laid from 3 to 5 per breeding season. The chicks do not hatch on the same day, because incubation starts for each egg when it is laid. When the chicks have been hatched for three days, the parents leave for periods that range from 7 to 9 hours to feed the chicks. After 20 days, the parents return once or twice a day, gradually returning more frequently until the newly hatched herons leave the nest after 35 to 37 days. Threats The largest danger to the Japanese night heron is the deforestation of rural, lowland forests. Unchecked farmland development has particularly affected the heron's breeding and feeding ranges, adversely affecting