#bitterns

[bob-artist]

Bittern at the grocery store

[snototter]

A least bittern (Botaurus exilis) in Quebec, Canada

by Mike Streicher

[dovemoulins]

i posted this ages ago on twitter and no one cared so im hoping i will find some bird likers on this app. ardeidae fancam!

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

The least bittern is really the most when it comes to agility! Though they're the smallest heron, standing at only 36 cm (14 in) tall, they are often found in water that is far too deep for their larger cousins. This is because the least bittern has very long, agile toes which allows it to grip onto the slender reeds of its hunting grounds, keeping it suspended over the water as it searches for prey.

(Image: A least bittern (Botaurus exilis) by Andy Wraithmell)

[simplified-birds]

Simplified bird #75 - american bittern

( requested by @jujstarzzzzy )

[spinus-pinus]

American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus

11/27/2022 San Jacinto Wildlife Area, California

[na-bird-of-the-day]

BOTD: Least Bittern

Photo: Matt Felperin

"One of the smallest herons in the world, adapted for life in dense marshes. Rather than wading in the shallows like most herons, the Least Bittern climbs about in cattails and reeds, clinging to the stems with its long toes. Its narrow body allows it to slip through dense, tangled vegetation with ease. Because of its habitat choice, it often goes unseen except when it flies, but its cooing and clucking callnotes are heard frequently at dawn and dusk and sometimes at night."

- Audubon Field Guide

[uwmspeccoll]

A Feathursday in Wading

This week we present a few wading birds -- some by lakes and rivers, some by the seashore -- rendered in black and white and hand-colored wood engravings by British author and wood engraver Eric Fitch Daglish (1892-1966) from his 1948 publication Birds of the British Isles, published in London by J. M. Dent & Sons in a limited edition of 1500 copies. Shown here from top to bottom are:

Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula)

Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)

Eurasian Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus)

Eurasian Bittern (Botaurus stellaris)

Birds of the British Isles is a donation from our friend, Wisconsin wood engraver Tony Drehfal.

View more posts from this volume.

View more Feathursday posts.