Dwarf Bittern (Botaurus sturmii)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Dwarf Bittern

Botaurus sturmii (Wagler, 1827)

The dwarf bittern (Botaurus sturmii) is a species of heron in the family Ardeidae that is widely distributed across Sub-Saharan Africa avoiding only the very arid regions.

Most records: Ghana, South Africa, Kenya

Where and when it's recorded

Dwarf Bittern has been recorded at 223 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 29 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Ankasa NPGhana168 records
  2. Maasai Mara NR – Mara TriangleKenya54 records
  3. Nylsvley Nature ReserveSouth Africa46 records
More places
  1. Kgomo-KgomoSouth Africa37 records
  2. Zaagkuildrift RdSouth Africa36 records
  3. Tarangire NPTanzania33 records
  4. South Luangwa NPZambia30 records
  5. Queen Elizabeth II NP – Kasenyi TrackUganda20 records
  6. Kartong WetlandGambia19 records
  7. Ankasa NP – entrance vicinityGhana17 records

Countries and regions with the most records

GhanaSouth AfricaKenyaTanzaniaUgandaZambiaBotswanaGambia

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The dwarf bittern (Botaurus sturmii) is a species of heron in the family Ardeidae that is widely distributed across Sub-Saharan Africa avoiding only the very arid regions. This species was formerly placed in the genus Ixobrychus.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

Where does the Dwarf Bittern live?

Its breeding range: Africa: widespread. It is most often recorded in Ghana, South Africa and Kenya.

What family is the Dwarf Bittern in?

It belongs to the family Herons, Bitterns (Ardeidae), order Pelecaniformes.

Range

Africa: widespread

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Herons, Bitterns Ardeidae
Genus
Botaurus

Other birds in the genus Botaurus

Eurasian BitternEurasian BitternBotaurus stellarisAustralasian BitternAustralasian BitternBotaurus poiciloptilusAmerican BitternAmerican BitternBotaurus lentiginosusPinnated BitternPinnated BitternBotaurus pinnatusStripe-backed BitternStripe-backed BitternBotaurus involucrisLeast BitternLeast BitternBotaurus exilisBlack BitternBlack BitternBotaurus flavicollisCinnamon BitternCinnamon BitternBotaurus cinnamomeusVon Schrenck's BitternVon Schrenck's BitternBotaurus eurhythmusLittle BitternLittle BitternBotaurus minutusYellow BitternYellow BitternBotaurus sinensisBlack-backed BitternBlack-backed BitternBotaurus dubius
Dwarf Bittern

Download illustration

Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Niall Perrins. ↗

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