Dwarf bittern
The dwarf bittern (Ixobrychus sturmii) is a species of heron in the family Ardeidae.
| Dwarf bittern | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Pelecaniformes |
| Family: | Ardeidae |
| Genus: | Ixobrychus |
| Species: | I. sturmii |
| Binomial name | |
| Ixobrychus sturmii (Wagler, 1827) | |
Distribution
It is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Spain (the Canary Islands), Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.[1] It is a rare vagrant in the Western Palearctic (which consists of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East), with several sightings in the Canary Islands.[2] Two individual were observed on the island of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands in the winter of 2017.[3]
Description
It is a small bittern, and the same size as the little bittern, to which it is closely related.
Conservation
It is designated least concern.[1]
References
- BirdLife International. (2016). "Ixobrychus sturmii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22697327A93608515. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22697327A93608515.en. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- Svensson, Lars (2009). "Vagrants". Collins Bird Guide (2nd ed.). HarperCollins. p. 409. ISBN 9780007268146.
- Kratzer, Daniel; Liundy, Vernon; Ławicki, Łukasz (January 2018). "Two Dwarf Bitterns on Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, in winter of 2017/18". Dutch Birding. 40 (2): 98–101. Retrieved 30 April 2020.