Black Bittern

Botaurus flavicollis

Medium-sized heron of forested and vegetated wetlands, ponds, and lakes. All ages and plumages have dark upperparts and orange, yellow, and reddish striping on the neck and breast. Female and immature average browner with weaker contrast than males. Typically hides and hunts in vegetation similar to other bitterns but occasionally perches visibly on trees and bushes.

Identification

It is a fairly large species at 58 cm (23 in) in length, being by some margin the largest bittern in the genus Ixobrychus. Compared to related species, it has a longish neck and long yellow bill. The adult is uniformly black above, with yellow neck sides. It is whitish below, heavily streaked with brown. The juvenile is like the adult, but dark brown rather than black. They can be difficult to see, given their skulking lifestyle and reed bed habitat, but tend to fly fairly frequently when the all black upperparts makes them unmistakable.

Taxonomy

Genus: Botaurus; Family: Ardeidae; Order: Pelecaniformes.

Scientific name
Botaurus flavicollis
Authority
(Latham, 1790)
Order
Pelecaniformes
Family
Ardeidae
Genus
Botaurus

Range and habitat

Migration
Complete migrants

Behavior

Migration pattern: Complete migrants.

Conservation

Population trend: declining.

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

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