Page 77 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

BITTERNS AND HERONS
Order Ciconiiformes Family Ardeidae Species Botaurus stellaris
Bittern much heavier
than a heron
mottled brown
paler panel body thick neck
broad,
bowed blackish crown
wings
dagger-
like bill
streaked
long toes neck
trail in flight
black stripe
IN FLIGHT
short legs
with very
long toes

FLIGHT: heavy, low, slow, somewhat unsteady;
on bowed, rounded wings, legs trailing.
ew birds are so restricted to a single
F habitat as the Bittern is to wet
reedbeds. Even drier reedbeds are of no
use to it: it must have deeper water, so
that it can find fish in the shelter of the
reeds, at the edge of secret pools and STEALTHY FISHER
ditches.To maintain suitable conditions, Bitterns rely on access to fish while
in a habitat that naturally dries out over FORAGING FOR FOOD remaining inside thick cover,
typically in wet reedbeds.
time, requires a great deal of expensive The Bittern mostly feeds at the edge of thick reeds,
management work: Bitterns have moving slowly, with side-to-side shaking of the whole
gradually been lost from many past sites. body. It may be driven into more open areas by
VOICE Deep, hollow, rhythmic boom, freezing conditions.
ker-whooomp!
NESTING Broad, damp nest of reed stems well out of
sight in thick reedbed; 4–6 eggs; 1 brood;April–May.
FEEDING Catches fish, especially eels, in sudden grab
of outstretched bill.
SIMILAR SPECIES OCCURRENCE
Rare bird of larger, wetter
PURPLE HERON reedbeds, very local and scattered
see p.83 longer-
billed through Europe. In winter, more
much snakier
much widespread in W Europe, forced
smaller out by frost into smaller patches of
reed or more open water where it
longer- “BITTERNING” STANCE
legged can reach small fish.
When alarmed, the Bittern adopts
LITTLE BITTERN a camouflage posture with an Seen in the UK
juvenile; see p.76 J F M A M JJ A S O N D
upward-pointing bill.
Length 69–81cm (27–32in) Wingspan 1.25–1.35m (4–4 1 ⁄2ft) Weight 0.9–1.1kg (2–2 1 ⁄2lb)
Social Solitary Lifespan 10–12 years Status Vulnerable†
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