Little Bittern

Botaurus minutus (Linnaeus, 1766)

33–38 cmLength49 cmWingspan

It is small and thick-necked, with a single pale patch on the front of the wing.

Busiest months: May · Most records: Spain, Israel, Portugal

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Long, pointed bill; thick neck
Both sexes have a pale patch on the front of the wing
Male has a black crown and back with a green sheen
Male has pale yellowish-brown underparts

Male, female and young

The female has brownish-black upperparts and underparts with dark yellowish-brown and brown stripes; juveniles are more rufous and more heavily striped than females.

Voice

In spring, the male proclaims its territory with low, barking or frog-like calls.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: May · Most records: Spain, Israel, Portugal

Little Bittern has been recorded at 934 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 102 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

International Birding and Research Center Eilat (IBRCE)Israel3,276 records
PN Ria Formosa – Quinta do Lago – área geralPortugal1,420 records
Zamora – Río DueroSpain1,160 records

More places

Marjal dels Moros – ÁreaSpain835 records
Poleg MarshIsrael718 records
Lagunas de Campotejar ZEPASpain706 records
Badajoz – Azud del GuadianaSpain698 records
Aras Kuş Halkalama İstasyonuTürkiye542 records
Parque Ambiental de VilamouraPortugal536 records
Private estate near Green MubazzarahUnited Arab Emirates521 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Spain Israel Portugal South Africa Türkiye Greece Switzerland Czechia

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 little bittern (Botaurus minutus) is a wading bird in the heron family, Ardeidae. This species was formerly placed in the genus Ixobrychus.

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

Questions

How big is the Little Bittern?

The Little Bittern is about 33–38 cm long, with a wingspan of 49 cm.

Where does the Little Bittern live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic, Africa: southern, central Europe to Central Asia, northwestern India and Africa. It is most often recorded in Spain, Israel and Portugal.