Chestnut Bittern (Ixobrychus Cinnamomeus)
This bittern derives its name from the chestnut-cinnamon colour of
its plumage. Adding colour to it is the whitish chin and throat and a
dark median stripe down its forehead. The lower breast of the bird is
a whole lot paler than the upper breast giving it a nice shading in
totality.
The male and the female of the chestnut bittern look slightly
different, with the female being duller with brown streaked
rufous-buff under parts. The different appearance of the two sexes is
not an uncommon phenomenon among birds and in majority of the cases
the female is a shade duller. It is believed that the female which
often accompanies the chicks requires to blend into the surroundings
reducing the chances of predation, while the male needs to be noticed
by the female during the mating season and is thus brightly coloured.
¤ Found In
The bird is found throughout the greater part of the Indian
subcontinent including the islands of andaman, Nicobar, Sri Lanka and
the Maldives. It roams in solitude among its favorite haunt- the reedy
marshes. Some times it can be found among flooded paddy fields and on
rare occasions near the coastal backwaters.
This bittern like the other members of its tribes has an effective
defence tactic popularly known as ‘On Guard’. When
threatened the bittern freezes, neck stretched perpendicularly, bill
pointing skywards almost becoming invisible among its reedy
environment.
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