American Bittern
Botaurus lentiginosus
Summary 6
The American bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) is a species of wading bird in the heron family of the Pelican order of bird. 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.
Presence at Rosewood 7
Months Present: April-July, October-November
"Months Present" obtained from Lahontan Audubon Society at https://www.nevadaaudubon.org/birds-in-town.html
Description 8
The American bittern is a large, chunky, brown bird, very similar to the Eurasian bittern (Botaurus stellaris), though slightly smaller, and the plumage is speckled rather than being barred. It is 58–85 cm (23–33 in) in length, with a 92–115 cm (36–45 in) wingspan and a body mass of 370–1,072 g (0.816–2.363 lb).
The crown is chestnut brown with the centers of the feathers being black. The side of the neck has a bluish-black elongated patch which is larger in the male than in the female. The hind neck is olive, and the mantle and scapulars are dark chestnut-brown, barred and speckled with black, some feathers being edged with buff. The back, rump, and upper tail-coverts are similar in color but more finely speckled with black and with grey bases to the feathers. The tail feathers are chestnut brown with speckled edges, and the primaries and secondaries are blackish-brown with buff or chestnut tips. The cheeks are brown with a buff superciliary stripe and a similarly colored mustachial stripe. The chin is creamy-white with a chestnut central stripe, and the feathers of the throat, breast, and upper belly are buff and rust-colored, finely outlined with black, giving a striped effect to the underparts. The eyes are surrounded by yellowish skin, and the iris is pale yellow. The long, robust bill is yellowish-green, the upper mandible being darker than the lower, and the legs and feet are yellowish-green. Juveniles resemble adults, but the sides of their necks are less olive.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Mike Mosser, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Mike Mosser
- (c) Doug D., some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Doug D.
- (c) anonymous, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://eol.org/media/4191006
- (c) Ty Smith, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ty Smith
- (c) anonymous, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://eol.org/media/4191005
- Adapted by Hayden Wright from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botaurus_lentiginosus
- (c) Hayden Wright, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
- Adapted by Hayden Wright from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_bittern
