LC
Yellow Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis



Taxonomy

Taxonomic source(s)
Christidis, L. and Boles, W.E. 2008. Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Australia.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.

IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable
- - -

Red List history
Year Category Criteria
2024 Least Concern
2016 Least Concern
2012 Least Concern
2009 Least Concern
2008 Least Concern
2004 Least Concern
2000 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1994 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1988 Lower Risk/Least Concern
Species attributes

Migratory status full migrant Forest dependency low
Land-mass type Average mass 94 g
Range

Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) 51,500,000 km2
Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding) 36,000,000 km2
Severely fragmented? no -
Population
Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
Population size 66700-667000 mature individuals poor estimated 2023
Population trend unknown - - -
Generation length 2.77 years - - -

Population justification: The global population size is estimated at 100,000-1,000,299 individuals (Wetlands International 2023), which equates to 66,700-667,000 mature individuals. The overall population trend is unknown (Wetlands International 2023).

Trend justification:   .


Country/territory distribution
Country/Territory Presence Origin Resident Breeding visitor Non-breeding visitor Passage migrant
Australia extant vagrant
Bangladesh extant native
Brunei extant native
Cambodia extant native
China (mainland) extant native
Christmas Island (to Australia) extant vagrant
Guam (to USA) extant native yes
India extant native
Indonesia extant native
Japan extant native
Laos extant native
Malaysia extant native
Maldives extant native
Micronesia, Federated States of extant native yes
Myanmar extant native
Nepal extant native
North Korea extant native yes
Northern Mariana Islands (to USA) extant native yes
Oman extant native yes
Pakistan extant native
Palau extant native yes
Papua New Guinea extant native
Philippines extant native
Russia extant native
Russia (Asian) extant native
Seychelles extant native
Singapore extant native
Solomon Islands extant native
South Korea extant native
Sri Lanka extant native
Taiwan, China extant native
Thailand extant native
Timor-Leste extant native yes
USA extant vagrant
Vietnam extant native
Yemen extant vagrant yes

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Country/Territory IBA Name

Habitats & altitude
Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine Artificial/Aquatic - Seasonally Flooded Agricultural Land suitable non-breeding
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine Artificial/Aquatic - Seasonally Flooded Agricultural Land suitable breeding
Forest Subtropical/Tropical Mangrove Vegetation Above High Tide Level suitable breeding
Grassland Subtropical/Tropical Seasonally Wet/Flooded suitable non-breeding
Grassland Subtropical/Tropical Seasonally Wet/Flooded suitable breeding
Wetlands (inland) Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands major non-breeding
Wetlands (inland) Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands major breeding
Wetlands (inland) Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) suitable non-breeding
Wetlands (inland) Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) suitable breeding
Wetlands (inland) Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) suitable non-breeding
Wetlands (inland) Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) suitable breeding
Altitude 0 - 1500 m Occasional altitudinal limits  

Utilisation
Purpose Scale
Food - human subsistence, national
Pets/display animals, horticulture international

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Yellow Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/yellow-bittern-ixobrychus-sinensis on 22/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 22/12/2024.