2015 Birds - Herons and Bitterns

2015 Birds - Herons and Bitterns
Country / Post : Malaysia
Primary theme : Fauna (Birds)
Date of Issue : 25 June 2015
Denomination : Butorides striatus 0.70 MYR
Nycticorax nycticorax 0.60 MYR
Ardea cinerea 0.80 MYR
Ixobrychus cinnamomeus 5.00 MYR
Number in set : 4
Description : 
The striated heron (Butorides striata) – Pucung Keladi
The striated heron also known as mangrove heron, 
little heron or green-backed heron, is a small heron.
 Striated herons are mostly non-migratory and 
noted for some interesting behavioral traits.

Little Herons are often encountered at Sungei Buloh Nature Park, 
hunched into a compact egg-shape on a branch over the water, 
motionless but intently looking out for prey.

Little Herons use a wide variety of hunting techniques, 
but usually hunt from cover and rarely forage on the open mudflats.


Black-crowned Night Herons (Nycticorax nycticorax) – Pucung Kuak
Black-crowned Night Herons are small stocky, 
short-legged compared to other herons. They are 
handsomely attired in a tri-colour plumage of black, 
grey and white, with two long plumes on the nape.

Night Herons are very aggressive and steal 

eggs and young of other heron colonies.

Black Crowned Night Herons eat a wide range of 

prey from aquatic invertebrates, amphibians and 

reptiles to land invertebrates including small mammals.

Prey is shaken vigorously until stunned or killed and then 

juggled about in the beak and swallowed head first.

Grey heron (Ardea cinerea) – Pucung Seriap
The grey heron (Ardea cinerea), is a wading 
bird of the heron family Ardeidae, native throughout 
temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa.

Grey heron is a large bird, standing up to 100 cm tall and 
measuring 84–102 cm long with a 155–195 cm wingspan.

Grey Herons have long necks and powerful bills for a long and strong reach. 
They usually wait on the mud or at the water’s edge to snatch passing aquatic prey. 
They can stand motionless for hours.

Cinnamon Bittern (Ixobrychus cinnamomeus) – Pucung Bendang
Cinnamon Bitterns hunt small fish, frogs and invertebrates but take 
larger prey than the Yellow Bitterns, with which they share their habitat.

Cinnamon Bitterns prefer freshwater wetlands where there is thick 
vegetation to hide in and are hard to spot because of their supreme camouflage.