Bittern

Bittern, common name for any member of a subfamily of birds similar to other herons in habits and habitat, although in general they have shorter necks and legs. The plumage is brown, yellow, and black, variously striped and speckled. Bitterns are shy, solitary birds, inhabiting reedy and marshy places. At the approach of a potential predator, they stand motionless with head up and neck vertical so that their brown-streaked plumage makes them almost indistinguishable from the surrounding reeds. The bird is sluggish, and its flight slow and brief. When attacked, it uses both its bill and claws for defence. The bittern makes a rough nest of sticks or reeds in its marshy haunts and lays four or five greenish-brown eggs each breeding season. The common bittern of Europe grows to 74 cm (29 in) in length and is widely but patchily distributed throughout Eurasia; it is seldom seen but reveals its presence by the male’s loud booming call. It is declining in numbers because of habitat destruction. The American bittern can be found in all parts of the United States and most of Canada. The least bittern of North and South America attains a length of about 33 cm (13 in). In all of these types of bitterns, the feathers can be erected so as to increase greatly the apparent size of the bird.

Scientific classification: Bitterns make up the subfamily Botaurinae of the family Ardeidae, order Ciconiiformes. The common bittern of Eurasia is classified as Botaurus stellaris, the American bittern as Botaurus lentiginosus, and the least bittern as Ixobrychus exilis.