Birds › Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns
American Bittern
Botaurus lentiginosus
28 photos
Study shows up to four per card, from different observers, so you learn the species rather than one picture. Heart the good ones and swap any you do not like.
Photos you add are credited to you, and you keep the copyright.
Sounds
- Recording by Justin Watts (XC451067). CC-BY-SA · Source
Easily confused with
Green HeronButorides virescens
Black-crowned Night HeronNycticorax nycticorax
Least BitternBotaurus exilis
Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
Yellow-crowned Night HeronNyctanassa violacea
LimpkinAramus guarauna
Pinnated BitternBotaurus pinnatus
Eurasian BitternBotaurus stellaris
Study checks a spoken answer against these, and tells you which one you named.
Where it is recorded
| United States | 480,410 |
|---|---|
| Canada | 245,410 |
| Ontario | 120,999 |
| Quebec | 80,013 |
| New York | 61,870 |
| California | 38,917 |
| Michigan | 34,573 |
| Oregon | 25,712 |
| Texas | 25,158 |
| Washington | 19,755 |
Counts show where people looked, not only where it lives.
Traits
Behavioral
- CarnivoreEats other animals or animal-derived prey as a major part of its diet.BIRDBASE avian traits database
Group and habits
- Ground nestingListed by a harvested source as nesting on the ground.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Platform nestingListed by a harvested source as building platform nests.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Brood-parasite hostListed by a harvested source as a host of brood parasites.BIRDBASE avian traits database
Classification
| Kingdom | Animals · Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordates · Chordata |
| Class | Birds · Aves |
| Order | Pelicans, Herons, and Allies · Pelecaniformes |
| Family | Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns · Ardeidae |
| Genus | Bitterns · Botaurus |
Study it in a deck
- Birds of British Columbia, Canada
- Birds of Ontario
- Birds of Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
- Birds of Pennsylvania (Alkas)
- Birds of Pennsylvania, United States
- Birds of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Birds of United States
- Birds of Utah
Or build your own from the species near you.
Sources
- Names, taxonomy and observation counts: www.inaturalist.org
- Photos and recordings: the creator and source are on each one.
- Traits: BIRDBASE avian traits database (CC BY 4.0)
- How much to rely on each source
Remember the name next time.
Practise American Bittern with real photos from different observers and its recordings. Say the name out loud, and it comes back just before you would forget it.