Yellow Bittern
Photo: JJ Harrison (https://tiny.jjharrison.com.au/t/N3r5ijIDM5bq4WWU) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns

Yellow Bittern

Botaurus sinensis

LCLeast Concern
Family
Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns (Ardeidae)
Order
Pelecaniformes

Overview

The yellow bittern (Botaurus sinensis) is a small bittern of Old World origins that breeds in the northern Indian subcontinent, east to the Russian Far East, Japan, and Indonesia. It is mainly a resident bird, but some northern birds migrate short distances. It has been recorded as a vagrant in Alaska.

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Range and habitat

Southern Asia, Malay Archipelago, New Guinea region, and southern Oceania.

Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.

Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.