Yellow Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis Scientific name definitions

The Yellow Bittern is a tiny straw-colored bittern with a yellowish bill and legs. Adults of both sexes have an overall buffy-brown appearance, being darkest reddish brown on the neck and back and lightest yellowish buffy brown on the sides, underparts, and wing panel. The flight feathers in the wing and tail are dark. Adults are sexually dimorphic: the crown is darker gray and the back darker brown in male, versus lighter colored and streaked in the female. The juvenile is streaked light brown over the head, back, and underparts.

The Schrenck's Bittern (Ixobrychus eurhythmus) and the Cinnamon Bittern (Ixobrychus cinnamomeus) overlap in range and share a similar general appearance with the Yellow Bittern.

Adults are generally distinctive. The adult Schrenck's Bittern is darker above with bright chestnut-brown upperparts. The adult male Cinnamon Bittern is a uniform rich cinnamon color. The adult female Cinnamon Bittern can be spotted, especially on wings, and has sooty crown, and gray wash to back.

Adult female and juvenile Schrenck's Bittern have pale spotting on the dark back and upperwing. The juvenile Cinnamon Bittern is generally drab chestnut-brown with sandy-brown streaking and large spots of same color on wing coverts, white throat streaked dark brown, bright chestnut-brown flight feathers and tail, and chestnut-gray underwings.

The Yellow Bittern has 11 primaries (numbered distally, from innermost p1 to outermost p11, p11 is minute), 13 secondaries (numbered proximally, from outermost s1 to innermost s10, including three tertials, numbered distally, t1 to t3), and 8–10 rectrices (numbered distally on each side of the tail, from innermost r1 to outermost r5)(1 Marchant, S., and P. J. Higgins, Editors (1990). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic birds. Volume 1. Ratites to ducks. Part A. Ratites to petrels. Oxford University Press, Melbourne, Australia. Close ). Herons are diastataxic (2 Bostwick, K. S., and M. J. Brady (2002). Phylogenetic analysis of wing feather taxis in birds: Macroevolutionary patterns of genetic drift? Auk 119:943–954. Close ) indicating that a secondary has been lost evolutionarily between what we now term s4 and s5. See Molts for molt and plumage terminology. The Yellow Bittern is sexually dichromatic in definitive plumage. Juvenile sexes are alike but they differentiate beginning with the preformative molt. Sequences of molts and plumages are little studied in this species. The following is based on examination of Macaulay Library images, but more study is needed to confirm the information presented here.

Natal Down

Present at or near the nest. Nestlings have ochre-colored down.

Juvenile (First Basic) Plumage

Present at the nest and shortly after fledging. Juvenile plumage is primarily streaked brown. Upperparts reddish brown with heavy dark streaking and paler cream fringing, which wears away. Underparts white with heavy reddish brown and blackish streaking. Wing coverts buffier with dark streaks. Flight feathers and tail dark to black.

Formative Plumage

Formative plumage is similar to juvenile plumage, but forehead, crown, and mantle are mixed with newer feathers. Individuals in formative plumage are aged by presence of retained juvenile feathers in wing.

Definitive Basic Plumage

Female. Similar to the male, but the crown is surrounded by and indistinctly streaked with rufous, the hindneck is rufous, and the mantle is streaked rufous and pale brown. The underparts, particularly on the neck and breast, are more distinctly streaked reddish brown and buffy white. The wing coverts are duller brown than the male.

Male. The crown is dull grayish black. The hindneck and mantle are reddish brown, sometimes with a pinkish or maroon wash, with contrasting pale buffy brown wing coverts. The sides of the face and neck are buffy. The flight feathers in the wing and tail are black. The underparts are pale buffy or sandy brown with some hint of paler streaking in the neck.

Molt and plumage terminology follows Humphrey and Parkes (3 Humphrey, P. S., and K. C. Parkes (1959). An approach to the study of molts and plumages. Auk 76(1):1–31. Close ), as modified by Howell et al. (4 Howell, S. N. G., C. Corben, P. Pyle, and D. I. Rogers (2003). The first basic problem: A review of molt and plumage homologies. The Condor 105:635–653. Close , 5 Howell, S. N. G., C. Corben, P. Pyle, and D. I. Rogers (2004). The first basic problem revisited: Reply to commentaries on Howell et al. (2003). The Condor 106:206–210. Close ). The Yellow Bittern likely exhibits a Complex Basic Strategy, including a limited preformative molt but no prealternate molts, as in other herons (Ardeidae) (6 Martinez-Vilalta, A. and A. Motis (1992). Family Ardeidae (herons). In Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Ostrich to ducks (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott and J. Sargatal, Editors), Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. pp. 376–429. Close , 7 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), but detailed information is lacking.

Prejuvenile Molt

Complete, in or near nest.

Preformative Molt

Likely incomplete, and occurring in the several months following fledging. Preformative molt of other Ixobrychus bitterns includes body feathers, a few to many wing coverts, sometimes 1–3 tertials, and rectrices, but with the remainder of wing feathers retained (8 Pyle, P. (2008). Identification Guide to North American Birds. Part II: Anatidae to Alcidae. Slate Creek Press, Point Reyes Station, CA, USA. Close ).

Definitive Prebasic Molt

Likely complete and annual, following breeding, as in other herons.

Bill and Gape

The bill is yellowish to pale pinkish yellow with a dark gray culmen.

Iris and Facial Skin

The iris is brown in nestlings and yellow in adults. Bare skin in the lores and the eye-ring is generally greenish yellow to yellow, changing to pale reddish during the breeding season.

Tarsi and Toes

The tarsi, toes, and claws are yellow to greenish yellow.

Linear Measurements

Length: 30–40 cm.

Wingspan: 45–53 cm (9 Kennedy, R. S., P. C. Gonzales, E. C. Dickinson, H. C. Miranda, and T. H. Fisher (2000). A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK and New York, NY, USA. Close , 10 Brazil, M. A. (2009). Field Guide to the Birds of East Asia: Eastern China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan and Eastern Russia. Christopher Helm, London. Close ).

Mass

81–104 g (11 Melville, D. S., and P. D. Round (1984). Weights and gonad conditions of some Thai birds. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 104(4):127–138. Close , 12 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, New York, NY, USA. Close , 13 Round, P. D., E. Ul Haque, N. Dymond, A. J. Pierce, and P. M. Thompson (2014). Ringing and ornithological exploration in north-east Bangladesh wetlands. Forktail 30:109–121. Close ).

Molecular phylogenies indicate a close relationship with Black-backed Bittern (Ixobrychus dubius) and Dwarf Bittern (Ixobrychus sturmii) (14 Hruska, J. P., J. Holmes, C. Oliveros, S. Shakya, P. Lavretsky, K. G. McCracken, F. H. Sheldon, and R. G. Moyle (2023). Ultraconserved elements resolve the phylogeny and corrobrate patterns of molecular rate variation in herons (Aves: Ardeidae). Ornithology 140(2):1-21 Close ).

Egypt; Oman; Seychelles; Indian Subcontinent, southeastern Russia and Japan through central and eastern China and Taiwan to southeast Asia, Greater and Lesser Sundas, Philippines, New Guinea (possibly), northern Solomons (Bougainville) and western Micronesia. Northern populations migrate to south of range, to southern India, Philippines and Indonesia, some reaching Wallacea and New Guinea.

Mostly in freshwater marshes; also reedbeds and other dense aquatic vegetation fringing lakes, in riverside shrubs, inland swamps, rice paddies and flooded fields; in parts of China occurs in mangroves. From lowlands into hills, occurring up to 900 m in India, 1,200 m in Sri Lanka and 1,500 m in Sumatra.

Northern populations (south to central China and those in northwestern India) migrate to south of range, to Philippines and Indonesia, some birds reaching Wallacea, e.g. Alor (15 Trainor, C. R., P. Verbelen, and R. E. Johnstone (2012). The avifauna of Alor and Pantar, Lesser Sundas, Indonesia. Forktail 28:77–92. Close ) and Kai Islands (16 Johnstone, R. E., and S. (B.) van Balen (2013). The birds of the Kai and Tayandu Islands, Maluku region, Indonesia. Western Australian Naturalist 29(1):11–56. Close ) and New Guinea; leave in October and return in mid April to late May (7 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Passes through Thai-Malay Peninsula October–December (mainly November) and March–April, with apparent faithfulness to winter and staging sites proven by retraps in subsequent seasons (17 Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ). Migration takes place by night. Southern populations (including some of southern Japan, southern China, northern Myanmar and northern Indochina) sedentary. Resident in northeastern India (Assam, Cachar, northwestern Maharashtra), eastern Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, with some local movements related to water conditions; however, those breeding in northwestern Indian Subcontinent (from Indus Valley of Pakistan east to Gangetic Plain) move south in winter as far as Sri Lanka (18 Rasmussen, P. C., and J. C. Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia: the Ripley Guide. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ). Perhaps mainly summer visitor to southwestern Oman (late April to late November), although records are available from all months (19 Eriksen, J., and R. Victor (2013). Oman Bird List: the Official List of the Birds of the Sultanate of Oman. Seventh edition. Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman. Close ). Long-distance migration has permitted colonization of remote Pacific islands and Seychelles (where perhaps only vagrant on Aride and Curieuse) (20 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Accidental to Maldives (21 Ash, J. S., and A. Shafeeg (1994). Birds of the Maldive Islands, Indian Ocean. Forktail 10:3–32. Close ), Chagos Islands (annual), Lakshadweep Islands, mainland Australia (Queensland and Western Australia) (7 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island (Indian Ocean) (22 Palliser, T., and M. Carter (2013). Rare birds: the 2012 BARC report. Australian Birdlife 2(4):50–53. Close ), with single record in North America, in Alaska (Attu Island, western Aleutians) in May 1989 (23 Gibson, D. D., and B. Kessel (1992). Seventy-four new avian taxa documented in Alaska, 1976–1991. Condor 94(2):454–467. Close ). A record from southern England, in November 1962, is considered to have been correctly identified, but has not been accepted (24 Melling, T., R. Y. McGowan, and I. Lewington (2008). The Dorset Yellow Bittern. British Birds 101(3):137–141. Close ).

Mainly aquatic insects and their larvae (e.g. Diptera, Libellulidae, Coenagrionidae, Diplonychus japonicus) (25 Barthel, P. H., and J. Hering (2013). Die Biologie und Bestimmung der Chinadommel Ixobrychus sinensis. Limicola 26(4):279–309. Close ); also small fish (e.g. loaches, Carassius auratus, Trichogaster, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, Pseudorasbora parva) (17 Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Academic Press, London, UK. Close , 7 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close , 25 Barthel, P. H., and J. Hering (2013). Die Biologie und Bestimmung der Chinadommel Ixobrychus sinensis. Limicola 26(4):279–309. Close ), crustaceans (crayfish and freshwater prawns) (7 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), frogs (e.g. Hyla arborea) (25 Barthel, P. H., and J. Hering (2013). Die Biologie und Bestimmung der Chinadommel Ixobrychus sinensis. Limicola 26(4):279–309. Close ), molluscs, crickets, lizards (26 Craig, R. J. (1996). Seasonal population surveys and natural history of a Micronesian bird community. Wilson Bulletin 108(2):246–267. Close ). In Malaysia, compared to Cinnamon Bittern (Ixobrychus cinnamomeus), appears to take more terrestrial invertebrates (52% of diet versus 41%), with other main constituents of diet fish (16%) and amphibians (4%), and 28% unidentified (27 Lansdown, R. V., and R. Rajanathan (1993). Some aspects of the ecology of Ixobrychus bitterns nesting in Malaysia ricefields. Colonial Waterbirds 16(1):98–101. Close ). Sometimes catches flies in flight (Standing Flycatching). Solitary and secretive, typically forages by Standing and Walking Slowly, but also Gleaning, Running and Hopping (7 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); mainly crepuscular and nocturnal, but sometimes active on overcast days.

Following vocalizations have been described: soft, repetitive, up- and downslurred “oo-oo-oo” or “crrw, crrw”, given at rate of ca. 1 note per ca. 2 seconds, in display, territory defense, advertisement, and with large young, by day or night (likened to a Geopelia dove, but more continuous and monotonous), a staccato, dry “kakak, kakak” or “kik-kik-kik” in flight , a loud, repeated guttural grunting “ohr” and a similar call, albeit much softer, when arriving at nest with food (7 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close , 18 Rasmussen, P. C., and J. C. Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia: the Ripley Guide. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ).

Starts in spring in the north, May–August in Egypt (28 Hering, J., P. H. Barthel, H.-J. Eilts, K.-H. Frommolt, E. Fuchs, W. Heim, K. Müller and M. Päckert (2013). Die Chinadommel Ixobrychus sinensis am Roten Meer in Ägypten – erste Nachweise eines übersehenen westpaläarktischen Brutvogels. Limicola 26(4):253–278. Close ), Japan and China (7 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); June–September in India, related to monsoons; young recorded May–November in southwestern Oman (29 Jennings, M. C. (2010). Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Arabia. Fauna of Arabia 25. King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Saudi Wildlife Commission and Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Frankfurt, Germany. Close ); laying mainly July–October in Malay Peninsula (but nests with eggs or young found all months except January–March) (17 Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ); February–May in Philippines (30 Kennedy, R. S., P. C. Gonzales, E. C. Dickinson, H. C. Miranda, and T. H. Fisher (2000). A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); May on Sumbawa (Indonesia); September and January in Seychelles (20 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); September–April in Solomon Islands; February on Saipan (Mariana Islands) (26 Craig, R. J. (1996). Seasonal population surveys and natural history of a Micronesian bird community. Wilson Bulletin 108(2):246–267. Close ). Normally solitary, but can form small groups at favorable sites (31 Uchida, H., and T. Matsuda (1990) Colonial breeding of the Yellow Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis. Japanese Journal of Ornithology 39(2):53–61. Close ), with up to six nests reported in same tree but little or no synchronicity within colony (7 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Mean nesting density of 11.4 pairs/ha reported in China, but up to 31.18 pairs/ha in irrigated rice fields (7 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Nests usually less than 3 m (17 Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ) above water or mud, in bushes or herbaceous plants within reeds, grass, cattails, bulrushes, wild sugarcane or bamboo, or in mangroves, occasionally taller trees (e.g. Ficus and mangos), often near rice paddies and usually close to open water (7 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); nest slight platform of grass and leaves, 145–250 mm in diameter, 60–110 mm thick and 60–110 mm tall (31 Uchida, H., and T. Matsuda (1990) Colonial breeding of the Yellow Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis. Japanese Journal of Ornithology 39(2):53–61. Close ), usually with canopy of foliage and constructed by female (7 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Reported to be sometimes double- or even triple-brooded (7 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Normally 4–6 greenish-white or greenish-blue eggs (3–7), laid at one-day intervals, mean size 30–33 mm × 23–24.5 mm (7 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); incubation ca. 17–20 days (31 Uchida, H., and T. Matsuda (1990) Colonial breeding of the Yellow Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis. Japanese Journal of Ornithology 39(2):53–61. Close ), by both sexes, commencing with first egg (17 Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Academic Press, London, UK. Close , 7 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ); chicks hatch asynchronously and have pinkish down, yellow eyes and other bare parts pale yellow-green (17 Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ); start to clamber about nest at ca. 15 days and abandon it completely at 20 days (7 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Inter-specific parasitism reported in Japan, where Eurasian Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) laid eggs in 3% of nests of present species (7 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). No further information.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Common to frequent in many areas, e.g. Pakistan, Japan, Thailand, Borneo (winter) and Philippines, where generally considered commonest of small bitterns (7 Kushlan, J. A., and J. A. Hancock (2005). The Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), but apparently rare in parts of Indochina (e.g. Cambodia) (32 Thomas, W. W., and C. M. Poole (2003). An annotated list of the birds of Cambodia from 1859 to 1970. Forktail 19:103–127. Close ); 176 counted in China, ca. 1,400 at Lake Tempe, southern Sulawesi, January 1990. Breeding range in Malay Peninsula spread south to Singapore in 1980s (17 Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ). However, precise breeding range further east very unclear, e.g. probably breeds in Sarawak, Brunei and Kalimantan (Borneo, where mainly a winter visitor) (33 Gönner, C. (2000). Birds of Lake Jempang and the middle Mahakam wetlands, East Kalimantan. Kukila 11:13–36. Close , 34 Mann, C. F. (2008). The Birds of Borneo: An Annotated Checklist. B.O.U. Checklist 23. British Ornithologists’ Union, and British Ornithologists’ Club, Peterborough. Close ), recently confirmed to be resident (and probably breeding) on Timor (and probably so on Bali and Sumba) (35 Trainor, C. R. (2011). The waterbirds and coastal seabirds of Timor-Leste: new site records clarifying residence status, distribution and taxonomy. Forktail 27:63–72. Close , 15 Trainor, C. R., P. Verbelen, and R. E. Johnstone (2012). The avifauna of Alor and Pantar, Lesser Sundas, Indonesia. Forktail 28:77–92. Close ), with one record of nesting on Sumbawa, and is even known to breed on Bougainville (Solomon Islands), but not elsewhere in Melanesia (36 Dutson, G. (2011). Birds of Melanesia: The Bismarcks, Solomons, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Population on Saipan (Mariana Islands) most recently estimated at ca. 1,400 birds and has increased substantially since 1982 (37 Camp, R. J., T. K. Pratt, A. P. Marshall, F. Amidon, and L. L. Williams (2009). Recent status and trends of the land bird avifauna on Saipan, Mariana Islands, with emphasis on the endangered Nightingale Reed-warbler Acrocephalus luscinia. Bird Conservation International 19(4):323–337. Close ). Extralimital to main range: species first recorded in southwestern Oman in 1984, but presence not confirmed until 1997 (38 Eriksen, H., and J. Eriksen (1999). The first records of Yellow Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis in Oman and Arabia. Sandgrouse 21(2):178–179. Close ) though now known to breed at several sites and recorded at several localities in northern Oman (29 Jennings, M. C. (2010). Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Arabia. Fauna of Arabia 25. King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Saudi Wildlife Commission and Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Frankfurt, Germany. Close , 19 Eriksen, J., and R. Victor (2013). Oman Bird List: the Official List of the Birds of the Sultanate of Oman. Seventh edition. Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman. Close ); first definitely recorded on Socotra (Yemen) in November 1999 (39 Aspinall, S. J., R. F. Porter, and O. Al-Saghier (2004). Four new bird species in Yemen from Socotra. Sandgrouse 26(1):48–51. Close ), where perhaps breeds but unproven to date, with records in January, May and October–December (29 Jennings, M. C. (2010). Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Arabia. Fauna of Arabia 25. King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Saudi Wildlife Commission and Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Frankfurt, Germany. Close ); even more recently (April 2012) discovered breeding at three mangrove sites in southeast Egypt (40 van den Berg, A. B., and M. Haas (2013). WP reports. Dutch Birding 35(5):333–342. Close , 28 Hering, J., P. H. Barthel, H.-J. Eilts, K.-H. Frommolt, E. Fuchs, W. Heim, K. Müller and M. Päckert (2013). Die Chinadommel Ixobrychus sinensis am Roten Meer in Ägypten – erste Nachweise eines übersehenen westpaläarktischen Brutvogels. Limicola 26(4):253–278. Close , 41 Päckert, M., J. Hering, E. Fuchs, P. Barthel, and W. Heim (2014). Genetic barcoding confirms first breeding record of the Yellow Bittern, Ixobrychus sinensis, (Aves: Pelecaniformes, Ardeidae) in the Western Palearctic. Vertebrate Zoology 64(2):251–260. Close , 42 Jiguet F., S. Baha El Din, W. Abdel Latif Ibrahim, R. Bonser, A. Corso, P.-A. Crochet, A. Grieve, R. Hoath, and M. Schweizer (2018). Fourth report of the Egyptian Ornithological Rarities Committee – 2014 to 2017. Close ), with an addition claim from the Nile Valley (43 Ławicki, Ł., and A. B. van den Berg (2015). WP reports. Dutch Birding 37(5):340–353. Close ), and a record of two individuals at a mangrove in Djibouti in January 2014 (44 Hering, J., H. Hering, and H. A. Rayaleh (2015). First records for Djibouti of Hottentot Teal Anas hottentota, Yellow Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis, Savi’s Warbler Locustella luscinioides and Mangrove Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus avicenniae. Bulletin of the African Bird Club 22(1):78–82. Close ). In China and upland Borneo it is protected and considered beneficial by rice growers, as it eats stem-boring crickets in paddyfields. Considered rare and local in Melanesia (36 Dutson, G. (2011). Birds of Melanesia: The Bismarcks, Solomons, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Population of Seychelles estimated at under 100 pairs at end of 1970s and 228 birds in 1990–2000, declining due to habitat destruction for agriculture and infrastructural developments (20 Safford, R. J., and A. F. A. Hawkins, Editors (2013). The Birds of Africa. Volume 8. The Malagasy Region. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Chuenchom Hansasuta received a Doctor of Dental Surgery from Chulalongkorn University. During her long and distinguished career in dentistry, she studied and practiced in places such as Thammasat University (Thailand), State University of New York at Buffalo (USA), and University of Connecticut Health Center (USA) and retired in 2020. Chuenchom always had an intense curiosity for birds that over time, evolved into an acute interest in plumages. She has long been active in education and volunteering, becoming chairwoman of The Flyway Foundation and actively engaging and educating the public in the study of birds and their plumages.