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Cinnamon Bittern
Ixobrychus cinnamomeus
Pucong Bendang/Burong Gelam (Malay)

Cinnamon Bitterns hunt small fish, frogs and invertebrates but take larger prey than the Yellow Bitterns, with which they share their habitat.

Like other bitterns, Cinnamon Bitterns are solitary, and hunt quietly alone. But in good feeding grounds, they can be found in high densities; when you spot one, there is usually another nearby.

They hunt more actively towards the evening and prefer to forage on foot. But they are strong fliers and are sometimes seen flying across roads in rural swampy areas. Generally, however, when disturbed they usually make a short flight into the next nearest cover.

They roost alone, above ground, on platforms of bent-over grass stems.

Cinnamon Bitterns prefer freshwater wetlands where there is thick vegetation to hide in, e.g., marshes, ricefields, grasslands, reedbeds, ponds, reservoirs; up to 2,000m. In Singapore, they may sometimes be found in mangroves. They are found in drier habitats than the Yellow Bittern.
Mangrove and wetland wildlife at
Sungei Buloh Nature Park
Main features: Slender (39cm) but a little larger than the Yellow Bittern; rufous plumage; legs yellowish-green; bill yellowish.

Male: Upperparts rufous; underparts paler.
female cinnamon bittern
Female
Photo from
Morten Strange
Female: Upperparts browner with buffy spots; underparts paler with dark brown streaks.

Juvenile: As in female but upperparts mottled dark brown; underparts more heavily streaked.

Call: Described as a sharp kuok in flight; a string of explosive kuk or tuk in alarm.

In flight: Uniformly dark rufous. Legs trailing.

Similar birds:
Yellow Bittern (I. sinensis) has a black cap and distinctive wing pattern when in flight.

Status in Singapore: Common resident and winter visitor throughout the island including North offshore islands.

World distribution: Throughout China to India, Southeast Asia to Philippines and Sulawesi.

Classification: Family Ardeidae, subfamily Botaurinae. World 65 species, Singapore 17 species.
Secretive birds, Cinnamon Bittern are hard to spot because of their supreme camouflage. They are usually seen only in flight, and their flights are usually brief and low. For more about bittern behaviour in general.

Breeding: Cinnamon Bitterns breed year-round. Males perform breeding displays: perched alone with their heads above the vegetation, they stretch upright their facial skins flushed orange. They then suddenly crouch and puff out the throat with bill tilted upwards, exposing their white throat stripe and black breast side tufts. All to the accompaniment of soft kok calls. They also perform slow-flapping flight displays, alone or in groups.

Cinnamon Bitterns nest on the ground in swampy places, or on a platform of bent-over stems and leaves about 50cm off the ground. The nest is a made out of short pieces of reeds, grass or other vegetation. 5-6 dull white eggs are laid and both parents incubate (23 days). Chicks are creamy white. Their nests are so hard to find that according to Malay folklore, if a man wears the nest on his head, he will become invisible!

Status and threats: Cinnamon Bitterns are still common and currently not endangered. But they are affected by habitat destruction and overuse of pesticides which poison their prey and them. Ironically, Bitterns may actually help control insect pests on rice fields and should be encouraged.

LINKS REFERENCES
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Nature's Niche
  • Morten Strange, "A Photographic Guide to Birds of Malaysia and Singapore: including Southeast Asia, the Philippines and Borneo", Periplus, 2000 (p. 55: description, voice, habits, distribution, status, photo).
  • David R Wells, "The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula: Vol. 1 (Non-Passarines)", Academic Press, 1999 (p. 98-100: identification, distribution map, habits, habitat, migration, conservation).
  • Lim Kim Seng, "Pocket Checklist of the Birds of the Republic of Singapore", Nature Society (Singapore), 1999 (Abundance, status, Chinese and Malay names).
  • Lim Kim Seng and Dana Gardner, "Birds: An Illustrated Field Guide to the Birds of Singapore", Sun Tree Publishing Ltd., 1997 (p. 86: identification, status in Singapore, distribution, diagram, number of species)
  • G W H Davison and Chew Yen Fook, "A Photographic Guide to Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore", New Holland Publishers Ltd., 1995 (p. 20: identification, status in Singapore, distribution, photo).
  • Morten Strange and Allen Jeyarajasingam, "Birds: A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore", Sun Tree Publishing, 1993 (p. 72: description, distribution, habits, habitat, photo).
  • Christopher Hails, "Birds of Singapore" illustrated by Frank Jarvis, Times Editions, 1987 reprinted 1995 (p. 57: habits, description, status in Singapore, and lovely drawings of the birds).
  • M W F Tweedie, "Common Birds of the Malay Peninsula", Longman,1970 (p. 10: description, distribution, habits, habitat, drawing).
  • G C Madoc, "An Introduction to Malayan Birds", Malayan Nature Society, 1947 (p. 37-38: description, habits, habitat).
  • Sir John A S Bucknill and E N Chasen, "Birds of Singapore and South-East Asia", Tynron Press, 1927, edition 1990 (p. 90-93: identification, status in Singapore, distribution, field notes on habits, drawings).
 
By Ria Tan, 2001