Least Bittern

The Least Bittern is a small wading bird, the smallest heron found in the Americas.

The Least Bittern is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

The Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis) is a small wading bird, the smallest heron found in the Americas. Least Bittern in Florida This bird's underparts and throat are white with light brown streaks. Their face and the sides of the neck are light brown; they have yellow eyes and a yellow bill. The adult male is glossy greenish black on the back and crown; the adult female is glossy brown on these parts. They show light brown parts on the wings in flight. More

* Thanks to its habit of straddling reeds, the Least Bittern can feed in water that would be too deep for the wading strategy of other herons. * When alarmed, the Least Bittern freezes in place with its bill pointing up, turns its front and both eyes toward the source of alarm, and sometimes sways to resemble wind-blown marsh vegetation. More

The least bittern is the smallest heron (11–14 in ), a pale buff bird with a dark crown and back and buff-colored wing patches. The female averages larger than the male. It has chestnut, rather than black, upperparts, a less prominent crown, darker neck stripes, dark brown chest streaks, and paler wing patch. Juveniles are similar to females. DISTRIBUTION The least bittern occurs in North America, Central America, West Indies, and north, west and east South America. More

Least Bittern Illustration Copyright More

The Least Bittern is rated as Least Concern at this time. This is a terrestrial bird species that has a large global range of up to 6 million square kilometers. The population of the Least Bittern is estimated at around 130,000 individuals. This bird is native to the Caribbean, North America, Central America and South America. The prior rating of the Least Bittern was Lower Risk. More

Least Bittern is the smallest of all the herons. Adult male has glossy greenish-black back. Wing coverts are pale greyish-brown, tipped with yellowish-brown. Inner secondaries are broadly edges with pale chestnut. Secondary coverts and edge of the wing at the flexure are pale chestnut. Tail is greenish-black. Buff wing coverts are visible in flight and at rest. Flight feathers are blackish. Underparts are pale buff. More

The Least Bittern is one of the smallest herons in the world, and the smallest in North America. John James Audubon reported that a pet Least Bittern that he kept could compress its body thin enough to pass between two bookends placed only one inch apart. The Least Bitterns share a number of traits with the larger American Bittern: cryptic coloration, stealthy habits that generally keep them hidden, and a preference for marshes with dense emergent vegetation. More

Least Bittern - Ixobrychus exilis Accidental Species Global Rank: G5 State Rank: SNA Agency Status USFWS: none USFS: none BLM: none FWP Conservation Tier: 4 PIF: none General DescriptionIn comparison to other herons, bitterns are more solitary and rely more heavily on auditory than visual communication. More

* Least Bittern, Ixobrychus exilis * Yellow Bittern, Ixobrychus sinensis * Schrenck's Bittern, Ixobrychus eurhythmus * Dwarf Bittern, Ixobrychus sturmii * Black Bittern, Ixobrychus flavicollis The genus Botaurus is the larger bitterns: * American Bittern, Botaurus lentiginosa. More

The diminutive Least Bittern, which is similar to a meadowlark in body bulk though not in shape, stands out from all other herons because of its very small size and buffy-colored wing patches, which contrast with its black back. Although resembling in general habits its larger relative the American Bittern, it differs in the main season of its stay with us. All but an occasional individual have left us by the closing days of October. More

Bent Life History for the Least Bittern - the common name and sub-species reflect the nomenclature in use at the time the description was written. LEAST BITTERN IXOBRYCHUS EXILIS EXILIS (Gmelin) HABITS This pretty little bittern, the most diminutive of the heron tribe, is a summer resident in most of the United States and southern Canada. Messers. More

The Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis) is a summer resident over a large part of the United States including coastal and south Texas. Its small size and quiet, stalking behavior allow it to slip almost unnoticed through cattails and other marsh vegetation. In June, 2000, I was on a private ranch in Kenedy Co., Texas when I happened to flush a Least Bittern from a cattail-lined pond. More

Least Bittern is a secretive wetland species that is restricted to a few breeding locations in New Mexico. Population trends in the state are not well known. More

On moist-soil impoundments in Missouri, least bitterns were associated with waters up to 50 cm deep and rank, dense vegetative cover bordering open water (Fredrickson and Reid 1986). Were not associated with open, sparse, or short vegetative cover or muddy openings (Fredrickson and Reid 1986). Among six tidal marshes along the Hudson River in New York, Swift (1987) reported that presence was related to the extent of tall bulrush-cattail cover and site elevation (i.e., depth of tidal flooding). More

* Least Bittern: On the Wing (16) * Least Tern: On the wing (18) * Least Grebe: On the Wing (2) * Wood Stork: On the Wing (10) * Yellow-crowned Night-Heron: On the Wing (9) * Green Heron: On the Wing (2) * Gull-billed More

Least BitternIxobrychus exilis Order CICONIIFORMES – Family ARDEIDAE Issue No. 017 – Revised: May 4, 2009 Authors: Gibbs, J. P., F. A. Reid, S. M. Melvin, Alan F. Poole, and Peter Lowther * Articles * Multimedia * References Courtesy Preview This Introductory article that you are viewing is a courtesy preview of the full life history account of this species. More

vues ouitouche — 14 février 2007 — Least Bittern male calling in the lowlands of east in Ecuador (Laguna Limoncocha). ouitouche — 14 février 2007 — Least Bittern male calling in the lowlands of east in Ecuador (Laguna Limoncocha). More

The Least Bittern breeds locally from southern Oregon to central Baja California and southern coastal Sonora in the west; in the east across Canada from southern Manitoba, southern Ontario and southern New Brunswick south to Texas, the Gulf Coast, Florida and the Greater Antilles. It winters from southern California, southern Texas and northern Florida south to Panama and Colombia. The Least Bittern inhabits freshwater marshes, bogs and swamps with dense cattails, reeds, bulrushes, buttonbush, sawgrass, smartweeds, arrowheads and other tall aquatic and semi-aquatic vegetation. More

the least bittern is 11 to 14 inches in length and has a 16- to 18-inch wingspan. This primarily black and tan bird has a blackish-green cap and back, brown neck and underparts, and a white throat. The least bittern is most readily identified in flight by conspicuous, light, chestnut-colored wing patches. A rare, darker phase also exists. More