Eurasian Bittern (Botaurus stellaris)
About the Eurasian Bittern
The Eurasian bittern or great bittern (Botaurus stellaris) is a wading bird in the bittern subfamily (Botaurinae) of the heron family Ardeidae. There are two subspecies, the northern race (B. s. stellaris) breeding in parts of Europe and across the Palearctic, as well as on the northern coast of Africa, while the southern race (B. s. capensis) is endemic to parts of southern Africa. It is a secretive bird, seldom seen in the open as it prefers to skulk in reed beds and thick vegetation near water bodies. Its presence is apparent in the spring, when the booming call of the male during the breeding season can be heard. It feeds on fish, small mammals, fledgling birds, amphibians, crustaceans and insects.
A real field recording of the Eurasian Bittern. Press play and focus on the rhythm and pitch of each phrase.
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Our streaming copies are mirrored from the original xeno-canto file and transcoded to 96 kbps mono — a modification, so we note it here; the licence for each recording is named in its credit below.
3 recordings on this page · licensed Public Domain / CC0 ×2 · CC BY ×1 · mirrored on this server, free for commercial reuse · recorded in Austria, Belgium, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark and elsewhere · xeno-canto lists 1,602 recordings for this species in total.
Similar species
- American BitternBotaurus lentiginosusrecording
- Australasian BitternBotaurus poiciloptilusprofile
- Pinnated BitternBotaurus pinnatusprofile
Species grouped by shared genus, family and range.