The ghost of a wronged woman turned into a bird? The name may sound bitter, but I am super cute!

In the early morning or evening of early summer, you can always hear a simple repetitive tone of "ku-e, ku-e" by the lake in the rose garden. It is clear, loud, and continuous. At this time, as long as you quietly observe the reeds or grass on the shore, you can probably find the white-breasted bittern hiding in it. Their backs and wings are dark brown, and their cheeks, throats, chests and abdomens are all white. They also have the typical "long legs" of wading birds. When disturbed, they rarely take off directly, but run away quickly.

In ancient times, the bitter bird was called "Gu'e Bird". "Gu" refers to the husband's mother, which is what we call "mother-in-law" now. The ancients believed that the bitter bird was transformed from a woman who was abused to death by her mother-in-law, so it has been complaining sadly about "Gu'e, Gu'e". Su Shi wrote in his "Five Animals" that "Gu'e is a water bird. It is said that a woman was abused to death by her mother-in-law, so its voice is so." Lu You probably left many poems chanting the bitter bird because of his rough emotional experience in his early years. He wrote "You listen to the voice of Gu'e, is it to send away the soul of a woman?", "Learning the Tao should be light on all things, but it's a pity that I have not forgotten my feelings. The loneliness and sorrow suddenly arise and I can't stand it. Gu'e's voice at the head of the wind and rain is heard." He expressed deep sympathy for those miserable women and expressed his resentment at the same time. Of course, these are just poets using objects to express their aspirations. The bitter bird is certainly not transformed from a woman, and their calls are just for courtship or communication with companions.

The White-breasted Bittern is widely distributed and has a large number. Overall, it is less threatened and is rated as Least Concern (LC) in both the IUCN Red List and the China Red List of Biodiversity. However, it still has ecological and other value and has been included in the "List of Terrestrial Wildlife with Important Ecological, Scientific and Social Value" by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

White-breasted bittern bird species profile

White-breasted Waterhen

Scientific Name: Amaurornis phoenicurus

Visibility: More common in summer

Protection level: three

Found: Alone near the ponds in the Rose Garden and Lythrum Garden.

Photo: White-breasted bittern in the rose garden pond at dusk