Chinese Pond Heron

The Chinese Pond Heron (Pucung-Padi Cina, Ardeola bacchus) is a common migrant and resident in Malaysia’s freshwater wetlands like rice fields and marshes, easily identified in breeding season by its chestnut body, dark head, and white wings, but is tricky to distinguish from Indian and Javan Pond Herons in its dull non-breeding plumage. These medium-sized herons hunt small fish, insects, and frogs, often seen patiently stalking prey in shallow waters across Asia, including the Malay Peninsula.

It is very common throughout the west cost of Peninsular Malaysia, a winter visitor to coastal wetlands, mudflats and manrgoves and surronding paddfields.

The Teluk Air Tawar – Kuala Muda IBA used to host about 1% of the world’s population of Chinese Pond Herons during the migratory season but numbers seems to have fallen either representing a global decline or less of them were using this site as their wintering sites. Or they have disperesed to other sites or areas along the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia.

https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/chinese-pond-heron-ardeola-bacchus

At Teluk Air Tawar – Kuala Muda: a migrant. The area holds about 1% of the world’s population (at least 1,000 birds). Look for it from August to April, in the largest numbers from October to February. See When to see shorebirds at Teluk Air Tawar – Kuala Muda.