adult

adult adult flying European distribution adult in reeds

Identification

When a Bittern does show itself, it appears as a rather chunky brown heron with somewhat owl-like plumage. In flight it has the pointed head and bill and long straggly legs of a heron but its broad, brown arched wings again recall an owl.

Habitat

Breeds in reedbeds. Winters in marshes and reedbeds around lakes and fishponds.

Behaviour

The deep booming call is possibly the most far-carrying of all European bird noises. If a Bittern is alarmed, it will often freeze with its bill pointing vertically upwards and its body feathers flattened to make it look as slim as possible. This provides perfect camouflage in a reedbed but looks silly if the bird is in the open. In Bitterns each booming male could mate with more than one female each year.

Migration

Birds from Northern and Eastern europe migrate South and West for the winter but the rest of the population is mostly sedentary, even in harsh winters when some apparently starve rather than emigrate.

This information is taken from the BirdFile on the appropriate BirdGuides DVD-ROM. As well as video and sounds, our CD- and DVD-ROMs contain additional text on Voice, Sexing, Ageing, Food, Nests and Eggs and more.

For the purposes of our bird news services, Bittern is classed as Local: generally fairly regular or common species that a 'county lister' or a birding beginner might be interested in going to see. (Note that rarity levels are currently applied nationally and may not reflect local variations in abundance.)

Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk 03/07/2010	Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk 03/07/2010	Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk 01/07/2010	Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk 26/06/2010	Titchwell RSPB, Norfolk 24/06/2010
Titchwell RSPB, Norfolk 24/06/2010	undisc. site, Northumbs 22/06/2010	Dungeness RSPB, Kent 22/06/2010	Dungeness RSPB, Kent 22/06/2010	Lakenheath Fen, Suffolk 20/06/2010

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Bittern breeds in the following countries (Bird News Extra subscribers will see population statistics and information on trends for each country):

Albania
Austria
Belarus
Belarus
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Britain
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Macedonia
Moldova
Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Serbia and Montenegro
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Turkey
Ukraine

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http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob950.htm   BTO BirdFacts: Bittern	Edit this link
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	Bittern monitoring in 2010	Monday 22nd February 2010
	A request for records of booming Bitterns in the coming breeding season.   read on
	Bittern Monitoring in the UK: Summary of the 2009 Season	Wednesday 16th September 2009
	Download the summary and find out the key results from this year's project.   read on
	RSPB: Booming marvellous!	Monday 7th September 2009
	Increase for one of Britain's most threatened birds, the Bittern.   read on
	RSPB: Bittern monitoring in 2009	Thursday 19th February 2009
	Find out how Bitterns fared last year, and find out how you help this year's breeding bird survey.   read on
	Bittern Monitoring in the UK: Summary of the 2008 Season	Friday 3rd October 2008
	This year saw an incredible increase in the number of booming males nationally to a minimum total of 76, a 49% increase since 2007.   read on
	British Birds: 1953, Volume 46, No. 3, Notes	Monday 14th April 2008
	The Notes section of BB always contains some remarkable tales, and this dive into the archives proves no exception.
	RSPB: Bittern Monitoring in 2008	Monday 25th February 2008
	Find out how Bitterns fared last year, and find out how you help this year's breeding bird survey.   read on
	RSPB: Action needed to help wildlife weather the storm	Friday 9th November 2007
	Includes the latest news from reserves on the east coast   read on
	Bitterns Nest in the Fens for the First Time Since Before the Second World War	Friday 21st September 2007
	Bitterns have been recorded nesting in the East Anglian Fens for the first time since before the Second World War.   read on
	Bittern Monitoring in the UK: Summary of the 2007 Season	Friday 21st September 2007
	This year saw a welcome increase in the number of booming males nationally to a minimum total of 51, a 16% increase since 2006.   read on
	RSPB: Bank Holiday Washout for Breeding Bitterns	Thursday 7th June 2007
	Bank holiday downpours have dealt a blow to one of the UK's rarest birds.   read on
	Bittern monitoring in 2007	Wednesday 28th February 2007
	How did these fabulous 'boomers' fare in 2006? Find out how you can help the RSPB to monitor Bittern numbers this year.   read on
	Back from the Brink. No 1: The Bittern	Tuesday 10th January 2006
	Recently the RSPB published a booklet charting the recovery of some of the UK's rarest breeding birds. The first of these looks at the Bittern.   read on
	Photospot: Bittern	Tuesday 23rd August 2005
	Lincolnshire birder Dean Eades was determined to obtain some good shots of Bitterns in his home county this summer. The results were impressive.
	Bitterns: Winter Status 2002/03	Thursday 20th February 2003
	During the winter numbers of Bitterns are supplemented by arrivals of continental birds. Winter 2002/03 has provided plenty of sightings throughout the UK. Find out how many have been seen and where, plus the best sites to see this fantastic heron whilst birds are still 'on show'.
	Cold Snap Produces Exceptional Numbers of Bitterns	Thursday 17th January 2002
	The post-Christmas freeze produced exactly the sort of conditions necessary for obtaining good prolonged views of Bitterns and between 1st and 21st January 2002 at least 88 birds were reported.

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