Editing Yellow bittern

{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{speciesbox
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref>{{cite iucn |title=''Ixobrychus sinensis'' |author=BirdLife International |author-link=BirdLife International |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22697303A93606843.en |page=e.T22697303A93606843 |year=2016 |access-date=25 October 2021}}</ref>
| image = Ixobrychus sinensis - Chinese Garden.jpg
| genus = Botaurus
| species = sinensis
| authority = ([[Johann Friedrich Gmelin|Gmelin, JF]], 1789)
| range_map = Ixobrychus sinensis map.svg
| range_map_caption = Range of ''B. sinensis'' {{leftlegend|#FFFF00|Breeding range|outline=gray}}{{leftlegend|#008000|Year-round range|outline=gray}}{{leftlegend|#0000FF|Nonbreeding range|outline=gray}}
}}
The '''yellow bittern''' ('''''Botaurus sinensis''''') is a small [[bittern]]. It is of Old World origins, breeding in the northern [[Indian Subcontinent]], east to the [[Russian Far East]], [[Japan]], and [[Indonesia]]. It is mainly [[resident bird|resident]], but some northern birds [[bird migration|migrate]] short distances. It has been recorded as a vagrant in [[Alaska]] and there has been a single sighting in [[Great Britain]], from [[Radipole Lake]], [[Dorset]] on November 23, 1962 – however, the [[British Ornithologists' Union]] has always considered this occurrence to be of uncertain provenance and currently it is not accepted onto the official British List.

==Taxonomy==
The yellow bittern was [[Species description|formally described]] in 1789 by [[Johann Friedrich Gmelin]] in his revised and expanded edition of ''[[Systema Naturae]]''. He placed it with the herons, cranes, storks, and bitterns in the [[genus]] ''[[Ardea (bird)|Ardea]]'' and coined the [[binomial nomenclature|binomial name]] ''Ardea sinensis''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Gmelin |first=J. F. |author-link=Johann Friedrich Gmelin |year=1789 |title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis |edition=13th |volume=1, Part 2 |language=Latin |location=Lipsiae [Leipzig] |publisher=Georg Emanuel Beer |pages=642–643 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2656135}}</ref> Gmelin based his description on the "Chinese heron" that had been included by the English ornithologist [[John Latham (ornithologist)|John Latham]] in his multi-volume work ''A General Synopsis of Birds''. Latham based his description on a collection of Chinese drawings.<ref>{{cite book |last=Latham |first=J. |author-link=John Latham (ornithologist) |year=1785 |title=A General Synopsis of Birds | volume=3, Part 1 |publisher=Printed for Leigh and Sotheby |location=London |page=99 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/40078858}}</ref> The yellow bittern was formerly placed in the genus ''Ixobrychus''. A [[molecular phylogenetic]] study of the heron family Ardeidae published in 2023 found that ''Ixobrychus'' was [[paraphyletic]], and to create [[monophyletic]] genera, ''Ixobrychus'' was merged into the genus ''[[Botaurus]]'' that had been introduced in 1819 by the English naturalist [[James Francis Stephens]].<ref>{{Cite journal | last1=Hruska | first1=J.P. | last2=Holmes | first2=J. | last3=Oliveros | first3=C. | last4=Shakya | first4=S. | last5=Lavretsky | first5=P. | last6=McCracken | first6=K.G. | last7=Sheldon | first7=F.H. | last8=Moyle | first8=R.G. | date=2023 | title=Ultraconserved elements resolve the phylogeny and corroborate patterns of molecular rate variation in herons (Aves: Ardeidae) | journal=Ornithology | volume=140 | issue=2 | pages=ukad005 | doi=10.1093/ornithology/ukad005}}</ref><ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela C. Rasmussen | date=August 2024 | title=Ibis, spoonbills, herons, Hamerkop, Shoebill, pelicans | work=IOC World Bird List Version 14.2 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/pelicans/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=20 August 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | last1=Chesser | first1=R.T. | last2=Billerman | first2=S.M. | last3=Burns | first3=K.J. | last4=Cicero | first4=C. | last5=Dunn | first5=J.L. | last6=Hernández-Baños | first6=B.E. | last7=Jiménez | first7=R.A. | last8=Johnson | first8=O. | last9=Kratter | first9=A.W. | last10=Mason | first10=N.A. | last11=Rasmussen | first11=P.C. | last12=Remsen | first12=J.V.J. | date=2024 | title=Sixty-fifth Supplement to the American Ornithological Society's Check-list of North American Birds | journal=Ornithology | volume=141 | issue=3 | pages=ukae019 | doi=10.1093/ornithology/ukae019 | doi-access=free }}</ref> The genus name ''Botaurus'' is [[Medieval Latin]] for a bittern. The specific epithet ''sinensis'' is [[Neo-Latin|Modern Latin]] meaning "China".<ref>{{cite book | last=Jobling | first=James A. | year=2010| title=The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | publisher=Christopher Helm | location=London | isbn=978-1-4081-2501-4 | pages=[https://archive.org/stream/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling#page/n75/mode/1up 75], [https://archive.org/stream/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling#page/n357/mode/1up 357]}}</ref> The species is [[monotypic]]: no [[subspecies]] are recognised.<ref name=ioc/>

==Description==
The yellow bittern is a small species at {{cvt|36|to|38|cm}} in length, with a short neck and longish bill.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Silva Wijeyeratne |first=Gehan de |url=http://archive.org/details/photographicguid0000silv |title=A photographic guide to birds of Sri Lanka |date=2008 |publisher=New Holland |location=London |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-1-84773-318-4}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Ixobrychus sinensis, Yellow bittern |url=https://www.thainationalparks.com/species/yellow-bittern |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=Thai National Parks |language=en}}</ref> It has yellow green legs, an ivory bill (darker on top), a short black tail, and yellow irises.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=HeronConservation » Yellow Bittern |url=https://www.heronconservation.org/herons-of-the-world/list-of-herons/yellow-bittern/ |access-date=2024-04-01 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Phillipps |first1=Quentin |url=http://archive.org/details/phillippsfieldgu0000unse |title=Phillipps Field Guide To The Birds Of Borneo |last2=Phillipps |first2=Karen |date=2010-01-07 |publisher=John Beaufoy Publishing |isbn=978-1-906780-10-4 |pages=60}}</ref> The male of the species has a dark cap, chestnut head and neck, with a uniformly dull yellow body above and buff below.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Pratt |first=H. Douglas (Harold Douglas) |url=http://archive.org/details/birdsbatsofpalau0000prat |title=The birds & bats of Palau |date=2008 |publisher=Honolulu, HI : Mutual Pub. |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-1-56647-871-7 |pages=164–165}}</ref> The female's cap, neck, and breast are streaked, with a rufous hindneck and upper back and streaked dark red brown and buff under parts.<ref name=":1" /> The juvenile of the species resembles the female but is more boldly streaked, brown on its head and back, and mottled with buff above.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-01-09 |title=Yellow Bittern |url=https://singaporebirds.com/species/yellow-bittern/ |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=Birds of Singapore |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Distribution and habitat==
[[File:Ixobrychus sinensis MWNH 0906.JPG|right|thumb|Egg, Collection [[Museum Wiesbaden]]]]
Yellow bitterns are found in fresh water marshes and swamps.<ref name=":1" /> It nests in small constructed platforms of reeds or twigs in the vegetation of [[reed bed]]s or in trees and shrubs adjacent to or above water.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Yellow Bittern |url=https://animalia.bio/yellow-bittern |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=Animalia}}</ref> They lay four to six pale blue-green eggs.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last= |title=Yellow Bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis) – Planet of Birds |date=25 September 2011 |url=https://planetofbirds.com/ciconiiformes-ardeidae-yellow-bittern-ixobrychus-sinensis |access-date=2024-04-01 |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Behaviour and ecology ==
{{Unreferenced section|date=February 2024}}
Yellow bitterns feed on a variety of [[insect]]s, [[fish]], [[amphibian]]s, [[Crustacean|crustaceans]], and [[Mollusca|molluscs]].<ref name=":4" /> 

==Conservation==
The yellow bittern is protected under the [[Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-04-26 |title=List of Birds Protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (2023) {{!}} FWS.gov |url=https://www.fws.gov/media/list-birds-protected-migratory-bird-treaty-act-2023 |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=www.fws.gov |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=10.13 List of Birds Protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. |url=https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-50/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-10/subpart-B/section-10.13 |access-date=2024-04-01 |website=National Archives Code of Federal Regulations}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Yellow Bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis) at Chiba JPN.jpg|1）Parent locates child birds without chirp (Chiba pref. Japan)
File:Yellow Bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis) child bird at Chia JPN.jpg|2）Child birds notice parent then exit from thicket
File:Yellow Bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis) feeds to child bird at Chiba JPN.jpg|3）Feeding to child birds
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q888536}}

[[Category:Bitterns]]
[[Category:Birds of East Asia]]
[[Category:Birds of Southeast Asia]]
[[Category:Birds of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Botaurus]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1789]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Gmelin]]
[[Category:Birds of Nepal]]