Malaysia 2015 Herons & Bitterns

Herons are freshwater and coastal birds belonging to the family Ardeidae.  There are 64 recognised species worldwide.  Only the Botaurus and Ixobrychus genera are referred to as bitterns.

There are about 19 species of Ardeidae found in Malaysia, 7 of which can be found at the Kuala Selangor Nature Park.

Herons are medium to large-sized birds with long legs and necks.  The smallest measure less than 12 inches and the largest about 60 inches in height.  Herons are highly mobile family, with most species being partially migratory.  Herons and bitterns are carnivorous.

Heron’s breeding season happens once a year in the tropics.  Their nests are usually found near or above water typically placed in vegetation, although the nest of a few species have been found on the ground where suitable trees or shrubs are unavailable.

60sen •  Pucung Kuak ( Nycticorax nycticorax )

Pucung kuak is black-crowned night heron.  It is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, except in the coldest region and Australasia.  They are usually white or grey with black crown and back, red eyes, and short yellow legs which turn red during breeding season.  Breeding colonies can contain thousands of birds.  They are very noisy in their nesting colonies, with calls that are commonly transcribed as ‘quok’ or ‘woc’.

They feed mainly during the night or early morning.  They will stand still at water’s edge and wait to ambush their prey.  They primarily eat small fish, crustaceans, frogs, aquatic insects, small mammals and even small birds.

70sen • Pucung Keladi ( Butorides striatus )

Pucong Keladi is Little Heron, also known as the Striated Heron.  It is a small and stocky bird with blue-grey back and wings, short yellow legs, white underparts, a black cap, and dark line extending from the bill to under its eyes.  Juveniles are darker brown on top and streaked below.  Their diet consist mainly on small fishes, frogs, and aquatic insects.  They stand still at the water edge and wait to ambush their prey.  Sometimes they use bait, dropping a feather or leaf carefully on the water surface and picking fish that come to investigate.

A common resident of the Kuala Selangor Nature Park, their population will increase during the northern winter when migrant birds arrive.  They never form flocks but feed in large numbers spread out over mudflats. 

Little Heron can be found nesting not too high above ground in shrubs and trees but sometimes, in sheltered location on the ground and often near water.

80sen • Pucung Seriap ( Ardea cinerea )

The Grey Heron has a light-grey underpart and slightly darker grey back.  Adults have a white head with a broad black supercilium and slender crest, while younglings have a dull grey head.  They have a powerful, orange-yellow bill which turn brighter in breeding adults. 

They have a slow flight, with their long neck retracted in s-shaped.  This characteristic of herons and bitterns distinguished them from storks, cranes and spoonbills which extend their necks.

A fairly resident of the Kuala Selangor Nature Park, they make their presence known with a harsh ‘kraank’ call.  They are often found perched on trees near water and feed in shallow water, catching fish, frogs and insects with their long bills, sometimes small mammals and reptiles.  With the s-shaped neck, they are able to strike with their bill very rapidly.

They breeds in colonies in trees by building bulky nests made of sticks close to lakes, seashore or other wetlands, although they will also nest in reed beds.

Miniature Sheet RM5 • Pucung Bendang  ( Ixobrychus cinnamomeus )

Cinnamon Bittern is a small bird measuring 15 inches in length.  Although small, they are considered one of the larger Ixobrychus bitterns.  Short neck and longish bill, the male of bitternitue is uniformly cinnamon-coloured on the top and buff below.  The female is similar in colour but her back and crown are brown.

When surprised or alarmed, they would stretch their neck perpendicularly with bill pointing skyward, while seemingly freezing, becoming astonishingly invisible within its reedy environment.  Their breeding habitat is reed beds where they build nests on platforms of reeds in shrubs.  They can be difficult to spot, given their skulking lifestyle and reed bed habitat, but they tend to emerge at dusk to feed on insects, fishes and frogs.