Nombre en español: Avetorillo Estriado

Nombre en ingles: Stripe-backed Bittern

Nombre científico: Ixobrychus involucris

Familia: Ardeidae

Foto: Daniel Avendaño

Canto: Miguel Angel Roda

El mirasol chico o mirasol común (Ixobrychus involucris) es una especie de avepelecaniforme de la familiaArdeidae¹ que habita en Argentina, Bolivia, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, Guyana, Guayana Francesa, Paraguay, Perú, Surinam, Trinidad y Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela y posiblemente Ecuador. Su hábitat natural son los pantanos. No se conocen subespecies.

Stripe-backed bittern

The stripe-backed bittern (Ixobrychus involucris) is a species of heron in the family Ardeidae which is found in South Americaand Trinidad.

Description

The stripe-backed bittern is very small, averaging around 30 cm (12 in) in length. It is darker brown with a white and brown striped pattern along the back, and a black stripe from head to tail, while the underbelly is lighter brown and striped with white. This bittern calls through distinct, low-pitched ‘ooks’, or through gargling.

Distribution and habitat

The stripe-backed bittern is distributed in large patches across South America, located in Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and the island of Trinidad to the north, and in Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile and Brazil to the south,^[ inhabiting reed-beds and sedge.

Behaviour and ecology

The stripe-backed bittern is a solitary animal. It generally feeds at night on small fish, crustaceans and insects such as dragonflies and water beetles. It is not a strong flier, and only does so across short distances. When threatened, it responds by pointing its neck and bill skyward, a characteristic posture of bitterns.

The stripe-backed bittern makes small nests of reeds and stems, which are found above water level, among reeds. The clutch consists of three eggs. Incubation period for eggs is unknown, and breeding seasons appear to vary based on location.