ywaihung

Long Valley
29-10-2013

Ronaldo

Von Schrenck's Bittern...

ywaihung

Hi, Ronaldo,

Thanks for your comment.  I think this bird is a Cinnamon Bittern, female/juvenile, because the flight feathers are rufous red in colour.  When the bird was flying across before landing, the wings spreaded out showing a uniform rufous red colour.  This is in contrast to the Schrenck's Bittern which shows grey flight feathers in flight.  Also female and immature Schrenck's Bittern have white spots on back and wings.

Below is a photo of Schrenck's Bittern, female/juvenile, also taken in LV some time ago.



W.H.Yip

Ronaldo

You are right... Never seen a Cinnamon bittern with lines so contrasting on the neck. Looking closely at your picture, the tips of the primaries seem brown rather than blackish, which would make it Cinnamon. I am not sure about your other identification features on the wings. That seems a bit variable from bird to bird.