Eurasian Bittern Identification
Its scientific name is 'Botaurus stellaris', from the family Ardeidae (order Pelecaniformes)
What I look like
The Eurasian Bittern is slightly smaller than the Grey Heron.
It is stocky with a thick neck retracted into the shoulders.
Its plumage is in contrasting shades of buff-brown.
Its legs are short with non-webbed toes.
Its eyes are set low on the head, at the base of the beak.
Looking under the beak, this gives it binocular vision ideal for judging distances.
In flight, its wings are fairly broad.
It can be mistaken in flight for a buzzard or an owl which also have brown plumage with contrasting lighter areas.
On the ground, it can be mistaken for the American Bittern, but the latter has a more uniform upper side, a more distinctly striped underside, a pale eyebrow, and a thinner beak.
The American Bittern is very rarely encountered in Western Europe, usually around October and November.
It can also be confused with juveniles of other species like the Little Bittern but it is half the size with a more or less pale wing patch.
or the Black-crowned Night Heron, which has pale spots and a retracted neck.
Once mature, confusion is impossible. Here is an adult Black-crowned Night Heron.
These two species are encountered in the summer, as they winter in Africa. Here is an adult male Little Bittern.
In the Eurasian Bittern, males and females are similar.
The juveniles resemble the adults, but their crown and "mustache" are more brown rather than black.
My songs, my calls
The Eurasian Bittern is more often noticed by its calls as it is usually hidden.
Its call in flight "gréoh", either isolated or repeated, resembles the call of a gull. These calls are heard during night flights.
Its territorial song "oump" sounds like a foghorn far away at night. It regularly repeats this deep sound.
This slow, deep bellow is heard from afar, at dawn or dusk. It sounds like a double bass behind other bird songs.
How I behave
The Eurasian Bittern is shy and often stays hidden in the reeds.
When disturbed, it assumes a camouflage posture, stretching its neck and beak skyward and remaining still in the reeds.
It can stay like this for several hours until the danger passes. It follows the inclination of the reeds swayed by the wind.
It is rarely seen in the air. It occasionally flies in spring and early autumn.
In flight, its wingbeats are faster than those of the Grey Heron. The front of the body appears heavy with protruding legs.
It is very agile in floating vegetation and can grip onto reeds with its long toes.
How I reproduce
The Eurasian Bittern is polygamous. A male can mate with up to 5 females in a single season.
In March, at the beginning of the breeding season, the mating call of the male can be heard up to 3 km away to attract a female and mark its territory.
Its nest is made of dry reeds, forming a floating platform anchored to the reed bed with stems.
The chicks, reddish-brown, are rarely seen, always hidden in the reed beds.
The female feeds them alone with regurgitated food at the bottom of the nest.
What I eat
The Eurasian Bittern feeds on fish, frogs, insects, and rodents.
It feeds in shallow waters and hunts by ambush.
It walks slowly and often remains still before stretching its neck and piercing its prey.
Then it shakes it several times before swallowing it head first.
Where to find me
The Eurasian Bittern lives in wetlands, hidden in dense reed beds, perfectly camouflaged!
It can be sedentary (as in France, Spain, Italy, Denmark).
It can also be migratory. Northern and eastern populations migrate south and west where water does not frequently freeze in winter.
The Eurasian Bittern can live up to about 11 years.