Birds of Singapore
by the Bird Society of Singapore
Botaurus sinensis
Family: Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns · Status: Common migrant and rare resident · Size: 36–38 cm · Conservation: Least Concern
Occurs from the Indian subcontinent to China, Siberia, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia; northern populations winter south to the Thai-Malay Peninsula.
Male has blackish crown and uppertail-coverts, pale brownish mantle, yellowish-buff underparts with light streaks down foreneck and upper breast, and blackish flight feathers contrasting sharply with pale buff wing coverts. Female resembles male but with reddish brown surrounding the dark crown patch and light brown streaks extending from the throat to breast. Juvenile is streaked light brown over the head, back, and underparts. The eye has a clean-looking appearance with a circular iris compared to Cinnamon, Schrenck's and Black Bittern which have a dark mark behind the iris giving it a barrell-shaped appearance.
Freshwater marshes, reedbeds, and dense aquatic vegetation bordering lakes and ponds; also well-vegetated margins of open water and mangroves.
Perches motionless for long periods, sometimes with neck outstretched, before feeding.