Bitternbird

Bittern (bird), any bird of the genus Botaurus, of the heron family (Ardeidae), with six species, spread nearly over the globe. The bitterns differ from the true herons in having much longer toes and shorter legs and neck, the latter clothed in front and on the sides with long, loose, erectile feathers, and nearly bare or downy at the back. They are generally solitary birds, haunting wooded swamps or reedy marshes, lying close by day, and coming out at dusk to feed on fish and other aquatic animals, mice, and small birds. The common bittern (Botaurus stellaris) is from 28 in. to 30 in. long; general plumage rich brownish buff, with irregular streaks and spots of black, dark brown, grey, and chestnut; under-surface buff, streaked with brown, beak greenish-yellow, legs and feet green. This bird affords a good example of protective coloration. There is an instance on record of a sportsman who, having shot a bittern, was unable to discover it for some time, though his dog made a dead point at it, so closely did the plumage harmonise with the dry, coarse grass in which the wounded bird lay. This species was formerly fairly common in the fen lands of England, but the reduction of these tracts to cultivation has driven it away, and the last recorded instance of its breeding in this country was at Upton Broad, Norfolk, in 1868. It was highly prized by falconers for the sport it afforded, though when attacked or wounded it is dangerous to approach it, for it throws itself on its back and fights vigorously with its claws and spear-like bill. Its flesh was eaten, and was esteemed superior to that of the heron. The nest of the bittern is a mere collection of sticks and rushes; the eggs are greenish-brown in colour, and four or five in number. The booming cry of this bird, which is especially loud and prolonged during the breeding season, has given rise to a number of expressive folk-names - Butter-bump, Bull-of-the-Bog, Mire-drum - and has been noted in English literature from Chaucer to Tennyson. Early naturalists thought it was produced by the bird putting its bill into a reed or into mud and water, and "after awhile retaining the air suddenly excluding it again." Sir Thomas Brown was the first to show that this was not the case," for some have beheld them making this noise . . . far enough removed from reed or water." The American bittern (B. lentiginosus), an accidental visitor, may be readily distinguished from the European form by its smaller size, more slender legs and feet, and the uniform leaden hue of the primaries, which in the last-named bird are broadly barred with buff. The Australian bittern (B. poiciloptilus) closely resembles the European bittern in habits; the upper surface is purplish-brown, except the wings, which are buff marked with brown, throat and under surface deep tawny buff mottled with brown. The Little Bittern (Ardetta minata), an occasional summer visitor, forms a connecting link between the bitterns and the herons. It is not more than 13 in. long; general plumage shades of buff, with the top of the head, shoulders, primaries, and tail feathers shining greenish-black.