| Habitat: | Open, shallow freshwater swamps with dense marshy vegetation, swamp plants, ricefields, lakeshores, river margins, mangroves, coastal mudflats, man-made ditches, canals, brackish lagoons, swampy forest clearings.
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| Diet: | Feeds mainly on fish, but also eats amphibians such as frogs, aquatic invertebrates like crustaceans and insects, small reptiles including snakes and lizards, and occasionally small mammals. It typically hunts alone in shallow water or dense reed beds, using stealth and its sharp bill to ambush and spear prey.
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