මැටිකොකා/කුරුදු මැටි කොකා/Cinnamon Bittern(Ixobrychus cinnamomeus)

2024 March @Thalangama Wetland

Small heron of wet and open grassy areas such as flooded meadows and paddy fields. Uniformly bright rufous upperparts of adult males unmistakable. Female and juvenile have pale streaked bellies, dark streaks and spots scattered on the wings and back, and are dark brown with some rufous tones above. Females often have light spotting on the wings, potentially causing confusion with female Schrenck's Bittern, which has brighter and more solid white spots and a prominent dark crown lacking in Cinnamon. Gives dry croaking clicks.

The species has an extremely large range throughout Asia; there are breeding populations from India to Indonesia. Vagrants have been in Micronesia, the Seychelles and Afghanistan, among other locations. Global population estimates are uncertain and range from 130,000 to 2,000,000 individuals.

Conservation Status

Least Concern

2024 March @Thalangama Wetland