- White-bellied heron is a species of large heron found in Bangladesh and Myanmar and on the foothills of the Himalayas in India and Bhutan. It is mostly a dark grey with a white throat and underparts. The bill is black, greenish near the base and the tip, and the face is a greenish grey. On the ground, it walks slowly, looking from side to side. The usual call is a deep croak. At 127 cm in height, it is the second largest heron on Earth, after the Goliath heron. It is mostly solitary and occurs in undistributed riverside or wetland habitats.
- It has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, because the global population is estimated at less than 300 mature individuals.
- The threats include habitat degradation and human activities such as large-scale infrastructure development. It is under grave threat of extinction in Bhutan due to the development of large-scale hydro-power projects in the basin. Rising water levels force the nesting birds to search extensively for fish, leaving the eggs or chicks exposed to predators.
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