The American bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) is a species of wading bird in the heron family. It has a Nearctic distribution, breeding in Canada and the northern and central parts of the United States, and wintering in the U.S. Gulf Coast states, all of Florida into the Everglades , the Caribbean islands and parts of Central America.

Botaurus is a genus of bitterns, a group of wading birds in the heron family Ardeidae. The genus includes species that were previously placed in the genus Ixobrychus. The genus Botaurus was introduced in 1819 by the English naturalist James Francis Stephens. [1] .

American Bitterns are medium-sized herons with thick, compact bodies. They have shorter legs and thicker necks than typical herons and a slightly hunched posture. The daggerlike bill is long, straight, and sharply pointed. The wings are broad but the wingtips are somewhat pointed. Larger than a Green Heron; Smaller than a Great Blue Heron.

The Eurasian bittern or great bittern (Botaurus stellaris) is a wading bird in the bittern subfamily (Botaurinae) of the heron family Ardeidae.

Extensive freshwater marshes are the favored haunts of this large, stout, solitary heron. It is seldom seen as it slips through the reeds, but its odd pumping or booming song, often heard at dusk or at night, carries for long distances across the marsh.

Adult plumage is brown with heavy white streaks. A distinguishing feature of this bird is a black streak that extends from the eye down the side of its neck. Males and females are similar in appearance, but males are slightly larger. Juveniles are distinguishable from adults by the lack of a black neck streak (Lowther et al. 2009).

The American Bittern is a medium-sized heron of approximately 60-85cm in length. Adult plumage is brown with heavy white streaks. A distinguishing feature of this bird is a black streak that extends from the eye down the side of its neck. Males and females are similar in appearance, but males are slightly larger.

The American bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) is a wading bird in the heron family that is best known for the unique, loud, guttural call made by the male, which has resulted in it being given several nicknames, including ‘water belcher’, ‘thunder pumper’, and ‘mire-drum’. These are well-camouflaged, solitary birds that stand ...

Mar 4, 2020 · Botaurus lentiginosus (Rackett, 1813) PROTONYM: Ardea lentiginosa Rackett, 1813. Catalogues of the birds, shells, and some of the more rare plants of Dorsetshire.

American bitterns return south from late August to November. They winter along U.S. coasts south to southern Mexico. In Minnesota, the bittern is most common in the state’s north west, but the elegant courtship displays of March and April are increasingly rare sights.