The Squacco Heron is a tawny buff brown heron with a streaked head and back, and in breeding a black and white mane.
Adult: The adult nonbreeding Squacco Heron has a head that is finely streaked in black, brown, and grey, forming a modest crown but no elongated plumes in nonbreeding season. The relatively large and powerful bill is pale green yellow with a black tip and top. The lores are dull yellow green. The irises are yellow. The hind neck, like the head, is finely streaked in black, brown and grey. The upperparts are buff brown with slight tawny tinge. The wings are white and are mostly concealed at rest by the back plumes. The plumes are shorter than in the breeding season. The rump and tail are white. Foreneck and breast are bright buff coarsely streaked in dark brown. The remaining underparts are white. The relatively short legs and the feet are dull yellow green.
In breeding plumage, the upper parts become brighter and deeper. The crown is a mane of yellow buff or straw-colored feathers. The crown feathers are slightly elongated (1-5 cm) and are bordered with black. Several very elongated feathers (13-14 cm long) occur on the back of the crown. These are white bordered with black, and extend over the upper back. The lores are green or blue. The lower neck and back plumes are golden to cinnamon buff. The foreneck and breast are red gold. During courtship, the bill becomes bright blue except for the dark to black tip. The lores turn briefly blue before reverting via emerald to yellow green. The irises in courtship are richer yellow. The back is pink brown, with longest back feathers being golden and drooping over the wings. The legs are bright red in courtship, fading to pink after pairing. The other soft parts colors return to normal after the eggs are laid.
Variation: The sexes are alike. Geographic variation is not recognized taxonomically. South and central African birds were once considered recognized as the subspecies paludivaga.