American Bittern

The American Bittern, belonging to the Heron family is surprisingly enigmatically colored. Most active during twilight hours along with dusk and dawn, they prefer to inhabit wetlands with growing vegetation where they like to spend their time along shorelines and fringes of vegetation. These are stealthy birds, lying motionless and awaiting the perfect time to swoop in and capture their prey which includes the likes of crayfish, small amphibians, a variety of insects along with modest-sized fishes and mammals.

About American Bitterns

Bitterns are vocal birds using reverberating calls to communicate within the usually thick vegetation that is their habitat. Their calls have a dramatic quality to them which has led to locals residing around their habitats referring to them with names such as “thunder-pumper”, “mire-drum” and “skate-driver”.

Due to the fact that Bitterns are elusive in nature, don’t want to come in contact with humans, and live in thick vegetation that can’t be accessed easily. Little is known about the structures of their population, mating systems, and their biology.

However, through years of studying these Herons, we have understood various aspects of their lives which we will be learning about today! Doesn’t the American Bittern sound like a great bird to know more about? So today we will take a look at:

● American Bittern Photos, Color Pattern, Song
● American Bittern Size, Eating Behavior, Habitat
● American Bittern Range, Migration and Nesting

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American Bittern Color Pattern

Adult American Bitterns have a majority of brown feathers on their body. The upper body of these Herons is brown with small freckles of black across the top. The bottom parts of their body have brown feathers along with streaks of white.

The top of their heads, also known as the crown, is of a rusty brown color along with which they sport an elongated patch of black that runs down the sides of their necks. Their throat is white with rusty brown streaks on their breasts which have a black outline.

Their flight feathers are a darker shade of brown as compared to the rest of their body. They provide a nice contrast to their underside and bellies which are pale and whiteish in color. Their hindneck, which is the area just below their nape is an olive color. Their tails are short and round and covered in beautiful brown feathers.

Males and females are similar in appearance, although the females of this species sport shorter black stripes on their necks compared to the males.

Description and Identification

It is considerably easy to identify an American Bittern. This is mainly due to their long necks. Although it is easier to hear the American Bittern than see them. They are solitary birds and do not like to be around human populations.

They can often be confused for young Night Herons because they are similar in appearance. Although, they can be easily differentiated by paying close attention to their plumage. Immature Night Herons have a darker brown body and do not have the contrast of lighter-colored underside and darker upper sides as the American Bitterns do. They can also be differentiated by their flying style. American Bitterns have a more hurried and steadier way of flying as compared to Night Herons.

Often it can be difficult to differentiate between male and female American Bitterns as both the sexes are similar in terms of their coloring and appearance. One of the easiest ways to differentiate between the two is to compare their sizes. Female American Bitterns are smaller in size as compared to their male counterparts, although this might
not always be effective. Another way to differentiate between the two sexes can be to look for the length of the black-colored stripes along the sides of their necks. The female’s sport stripes shorter in length than the males.

American Bittern Song

American Bitterns use various resounding calls to communicate with each other. This happens especially in areas of thick and heavy vegetation where tall grass and other flora and fauna hinder their eyesight. They prefer to use low-frequency sounds to communicate as compared to high-frequency ones as it is easier to for these sounds to travel for longer distances in dense vegetation.

You can generally hear their call during the breeding season and use three syllables. They are low and resonate. Often these songs sound like “dunk-a-doo” and “pump-er-lunk”. These songs are generally preceded by a series of sounds like gulping and clicking. These songs are repeated 8-10 times in succession. They serve two purposes, which are calling out for a mate and territorial signals.

The vocal behavior of females is not as widely known as that of males. In case of being flushed from a marsh, American Bitterns emanate a croaky “kok-kok-kok” sound. Most of their calls occur during the breeding season when the males call for the females.

American Bittern Size

Adult American Bitterns have a stout body along with short legs. They are medium-size Herons. The males are generally bigger than the females in size but looking only at their size to predict their sex might not be always right. Changes in their weight and body mass vary with each season. The best way to differentiate between a male and female would be to look out for the size of their tarsus. A tarsus is a part of the legs of the birds in between what looks like a backward-facing knee and their ankles. Male American Bitterns have longer tarsus as compared to their female counterparts. In terms of their dimensions, the adult male American Bitter has a wing length of 26.7-29.6 cm, the females have a wing length of 23.8-26.7cm. The bill length for males varies between 7-8.2cm and for females, it varies between 6.3-7.2cm.

American Bittern Behavior

Males of this species often engage in territorial behavior on the ground which involves an elaborate display of defense. They assume the position of a defensive crouch while approaching each other while showcasing their white feathers between their shoulders. During the defense of their territory, they often involve chases in the sky which involves a few males of the species (2-3) flying in a spiral formation while trying to stab each other with their bills. They can be extremely territorial and aggressive towards other males trying to encroach on their territory.

When alarmed they tend to extend their necks and heads up and freeze. Certain times instead of freezing completely they might sway their body with the wind and attempt to disappear in the surrounding flora and fauna.

American Bitterns are solitary birds and therefore are largely antisocial. There is a minimal bond between a pair and is limited to breeding. They prefer to forage for food individually, although they might migrate in small groups.

When on the ground, American Bitterns walk in a slow and calculated, and deliberate manner. They tend to lift their feet slowly with their toes spread. When walking out into open fields they withdraw their head into their body a little bit, making it appear short. They walk with their necks stretched out. When they are in pursuit of prey, they might run quickly with their wings folded behind the prey.

Their flight style is best described as clumsy due to the rapid movements of their wings with approximately 3.3 beats per second. While flying, their neck is usually retracted unless they are making a short flight or calling during this flight.

American Bittern Diet

American Bitterns generally reside close to aquatic landscapes as is the case with several other Herons. Due to this a large part of their diet consists of aquatic animals such as small fishes, amphibians, and mammals. They also eat insects and small water snakes.

In terms of aquatic animals, their diet includes the likes of eels, crayfish, killifish, catfish, suckers, sticklebacks, etc. They do not shy away from eating crabs, frogs, tadpoles, giant water bugs, nymphs, etc. They also like to include dragonflies in their diet which they prey on mid-air. Occasionally, they feed on garter snakes that prey on amphibians on the edges and shorelines.

American Bittern Habitat

Following in the footsteps of their other heron counterparts, American Bitterns prefer to inhabit wetlands with tall and dense vegetation cover. They tend to favor freshwater wetlands to call home. Occasionally they inhabit wetlands with sparse vegetation and very rarely do they make tidal marshes their home. These habitats are generally preferred during the breeding season.

During the non-breeding seasons and migration period, their habitats slightly differ depending on which part of the country they are in. In the winter, they prefer aquatic areas with temperatures above the freezing point. During this time, they occasionally choose to inhabit brackish marshes along the coastal lines.

Range and Migration

American Bitterns as the name suggests, call the American continent their home. During the breeding season, they like to inhabit areas and states in the middle of the United States going up towards northern Canada. During this period, they choose to reside from the state of British Columbia, in the northwest areas around the Great Slave Lake, all the
way to Newfoundland and Hudson Bay.

In the United States, they populate Indiana, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kansas, Colorado, Missouri, Illinois, Texas, Louisiana, Wyoming, and Florida. The majority of the population of the American Bitterns is migratory. However, the populations residing in the southern regions can be non-migratory as well.

Little information is available on their migration routes and patterns, but it is common that they start migrating during early spring, around the months of March-April. Then they return late fall during the months of September-November.

American Bittern Lifecycle

The females can lay between 2-7 or 3-5 eggs. They have medium-size eggs that can range from light brown to olive and vary in terms of shades. The eggs are smooth with a slight hint of gloss on their surface. They lay approximately one egg per day.

Once they lay the eggs, the female incubates them. The period for incubation is between 24-28 days. The incubation starts as soon as they lay the first egg. The process of hatching and the role of parents during this time is unclear. However, the parents remove the broken eggshells from the nest by throwing them onto the ground. The same is done with infertile eggs.

Once the hatchlings enter the world, the mother feeds them. Younglings leave the nest around 1-2 weeks after hatching but frequently return for another 2-4 weeks. After this, the young birds don’t have any contact with their parents. American Bitterns live to be 8 years of age on average.

Nesting

Among American Bitterns, females choose the location for the nests. The nests are generally amongst dense vegetation and away from predators. Females also build the nests out of stems, reeds, fine grass, etc. The females utilize both dead and dry vegetation to construct their nests. These nests are an average size and vary between 25-40cm in diameter. They place them not too far above the surface of the water.

Anatomy of American Bitterns

The American Bittern is a short and stout bird with a long bill to go along. The neck of these Bitterns can be retracted or extended on command, depending on the situation they find themselves in. At the time of hatching, the young birds sport a pink bill tipped black at the mouth. Not much information is available about the detailed anatomy of the bird due to its solitary nature.

Final Thoughts

American Bitterns are part of the Heron family and like other Herons prefer to reside in and around wetlands and aquatic areas. They have an antisocial nature and prefer to live and forage alone. They get together with other American Bitterns only during the breeding season and occasionally during migration.

These birds are easily identifiable due to their stout nature and long bills but can be confused for immature night herons who are similar in appearance. Given the fact that American Bitterns are solitary birds, it would be easier for you know hear one rather than see one. Just keep your ears open for their calls of “dunk-a-doo” and “pump-er-lunk”.

Ornithology

Bird Watching Academy & Camp Subscription Boxes

At the Bird Watching Academy & Camp we help kids, youth, and adults get excited and involved in bird watching. We have several monthly subscription boxes that you can subscribe to. Our monthly subscription boxes help kids, youth, and adults learn about birds, bird watching, and bird conservation.

Bird Watching Binoculars for Identifying American Bitterns

The most common types of bird watching binoculars for viewing American Bitterns are 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. Bird Watching Academy & Camp sells really nice 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. You can view and purchase them here.

American Bittern Iron On Patches

Kids, Youth, and Adults love to collect our Bird Watching Academy & Camp iron-on patches. Our bird-watching patches help you keep track of the birds you have seen and identified. You can also display the patches on our Bird Watching Academy & Camp banners.

The American Bittern is a great iron-on patch to start your collection with. The patches are durable and can be sewn on or ironed on to just about anything.

American Bittern Stickers

Stickers are a great way for you to display your love for bird watching and the American Bittern. We sell a monthly subscription sticker pack. The sticker packs have 12 bird stickers. These sticker packs will help your kids learn new birds every month.

Bird Feeders For American Bitterns

There are many types of bird feeders. Bird feeders are a great addition to your backyard. Bird feeders will increase the chances of attracting birds drastically. Both kids and adults will have a great time watching birds eat at these bird feeders. There are a wide variety of bird feeders on the market and it is important to find the best fit for you and your backyard.

Best Bird Houses For American Bitterns

There are many types of bird houses. Building a bird house is always fun but can be frustrating. Getting a bird house for kids to watch birds grow is always fun. If you spend a little extra money on bird houses, it will be well worth every penny and they’ll look great.