A photo of a American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus)
American Bittern

American Bittern

Botaurus lentiginosus

The American bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) is a species of wading bird in the heron family. It has a Nearctic distribution, breeding in Canada and the northern and central parts of the United States, and wintering in the U.S. Gulf Coast states, all of Florida into the Everglades, the Caribbean islands and parts of Central America. It is a well-camouflaged, solitary brown bird that unobtrusively inhabits marshes and the coarse vegetation at the edge of lakes and ponds. In the breeding season it is chiefly noticeable by the loud, booming call of the male. The nest is built just above the water, usually among bulrushes and cattails, where the female incubates the clutch of olive-colored eggs for about four weeks. The young leave the nest after two weeks and are fully fledged at six or seven weeks. The American bittern feeds mostly on fish but also eats other small vertebrates as well as crustaceans and insects. It is fairly common over its wide range, but its numbers are thought to be decreasing, especially in the south, because of habitat degradation. However the total population is large, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "Least Concern".
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American Bitterns on Birda

Photos

Sightings

A map showing the sighting location
🦉
Ethan Darling
Saturday 25 Mar 2023 - 11:26am
United States
A map showing the sighting location
🦍
Glass Cannon
Saturday 18 Mar 2023 - 10:00pm
United States
A map showing the sighting location
🦃
Michael Thompson
Thursday 09 Feb 2023 - 10:38pm
United States
A map showing the sighting location
🦉
Luc Webb
Sunday 05 Feb 2023 - 10:26pm
United States
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