Scientific Name: Botaurus sinensis
Malay Name: Gelam Kuning
Chinese Name: 黄苇鳽
Range: Found from the Indian subcontinent to China, Siberia, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia with the northern populations wintering south to Southeast Asia.
Taxonomy: Monotypic.
Size: 36-38 cm
Identification: 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 that contrast sharply with pale buff wing coverts. Female resembles male but has reddish brown crown. Juvenile resembles female but has bolder streaks on crown, upperparts and underparts.
Habitat: Grasslands and marshes near freshwater wetlands, well-vegetated ponds and mangroves.
Behaviour/Ecology:
Local Status: Common migrant and rare resident
Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)
Location: Singapore Botanic Gardens, Satay by the Bay, Kranji Marsh, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Chinese/Japanese Gardens, Seletar, Sengkang Riverside Park, Punggol Barat, Lorong Halus, Pasir Ris Park and any suitable patch of habitat.
- Local extinctions of Singapore birds (Science)
Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):
Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page
Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link
Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link
eBird Species page: eBird (Yellow Bittern)
References:
BirdLife International. (2016). Ixobrychus sinensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22697303A93606843.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023
Jeyarajasingam, A., & Pearson, A. (2012). A Field Guide to the Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. Oxford University Press.
Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.
RECOMMENDED CITATION
Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Yellow Bittern. Retrieved on October 8, 2024 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/yellow-bittern.