South american bittern
The pinnated bittern (Botaurus pinnatus ), also known as the South American bittern, is a large member of the heron family (Ardeidae) found in the New World tropics. Like the other Botaurus bitterns, its plumage is mostly buffy-brown and cryptically patterned. Though it is a widespread species, it is rarely seen – presumably due to its skulking habits – and much about its life history remains little known.
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
Altricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
Soaring birds can maintain flight without wing flapping, using rising air currents. Many gliding birds are able to "lock" their extended wings by m...
Ambush predators are carnivorous animals that capture or trap prey by stealth, luring, or by (typically instinctive) strategies utilizing an elemen...
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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starts withThe pinnated bittern is a large heron, measuring between 25–30 in (64–76 cm) with a weight that ranges from 554 to 1,157 g (1.2 to 2.6 lb); males typically weigh considerably more than females. Sexes are similarly plumaged, but females tend to be smaller than males and have brown instead of black on the tail.
Both adults and immature birds are generally buffy, though heavily marked with cryptic patterning. Juveniles tend to have a somewhat more reddish ground color. The throat is unmarked white, the foreneck is white broadly streaked with pale brown, and the rest of the neck is buff with thin black barring. The breast and belly are white with broad pale brown streaks, while the back is buff, heavily streaked and barred with black. Rectrices are black in males and brown in females; the slate-grey remiges create a conspicuous two-toned effect in flight.
The bill is stout and strong, yellowish overall with a dusky upper mandible. The bare facial skin is bright yellow, with a brown line running across the lores. The legs are greenish-yellow, and the iris is yellow.
The alternate name "South American bittern" is a bit misleading, as the species is found as far north as southern Mexico. Its range stretches from the Atlantic slope of southeastern Mexico to northern Argentina, though there are few records for Guatemala and Honduras. The species occurs mainly in low-lying regions, but has been recorded in the Cordillera Oriental of Colombia as much as 8,500 ft (2,600 m) ASL.
It can be found in a variety of freshwater habitats, including dense reed beds and lake borders, flooded tall-grass pastures, marshes and overgrown ditches. Typically, the vegetation in its habitat is dominated by tall sedges (Cyperaceae), water hyacinth (Eichornia ), rushes (Juncus ), typical reeds (Phragmites ) or cattails (Typha ). It will also utilize plantations of rice (Oryza ) and sugarcane (Saccharum ).
The pinnated bittern is largely nocturnal. Though generally solitary, it will gather in small loose groups at favored feeding areas. When frightened, it tends to freeze with its body crouched low and its head raised vertically just high enough to see. It typically flushes only at close range.
Estimates of its population, and of overall population trends, are unknown. Due to its wide range, it is nonetheless regarded a species of Least Concern by the IUCN.
Its diet is varied, consisting of fish (including eels), reptiles, amphibians, chicks, arthropods and small mammals (even including young common marmosets, Callithrix jacchus ), all of which are typically taken in ambush. The pinnated bittern is a patient hunter, often standing motionless for long periods while waiting for prey to move within range.
As typical for Botaurinae (but unlike most herons), the pinnated bittern is a solitary breeder. Its nest, a platform or shallow cup of rush stems or other plant material, is typically built among thick vegetation not far above the water surface. The female lays two to three olive-brown eggs, and is thought to do all of the incubation. Pinnated bitterns are almost exclusively wet season breeders.
