The Eurasian bittern or great bittern is a wading bird in the bittern subfamily (Botaurinae) of the heron family Ardeidae. There are two subspecies, the northern race breeding in parts of Europe and across the Palearctic, as well as on the northern coast of Africa, while the southern race is endemic to parts of southern Africa. It is a secretive bird, seldom seen in the open as it prefers to skulk in reed beds and thick vegetation near water bodies. Its presence is apparent in the spring, when the booming call of the male during the breeding season can be heard. It feeds on fish, small mammals, fledgling birds, amphibians, crustaceans and insects.
Region
Palearctic (Europe, North Africa, and Asia)
Typical Environment
Occurs widely across the Palearctic wherever extensive reedbeds and marshes are available. Breeds in large stands of common reed, sedge marshes, and vegetated lake margins, often with standing or slowly flowing freshwater. In winter it uses milder coastal wetlands, deltas, and floodplains, sometimes brackish. It avoids small, fragmented reed patches and requires quiet, undisturbed areas for nesting. Restoration of large, water-managed reedbeds has supported recolonization in parts of western Europe.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Males produce a deep, foghorn-like boom in spring that can carry for several kilometers across wetlands. When alarmed, it performs a classic 'bitterning' pose, pointing its bill upward and aligning its streaked plumage with reeds to become nearly invisible. The species is highly sensitive to reedbed water levels and management, and has recovered locally where large wetlands have been restored.
A Eurasian bittern skull
A bittern, well camouflaged in typical reed bed habitat
In defensive pose with elongated feathers spread
Eggs, Collection Museum Wiesbaden. Ruler is marked in millimeters.
Foraging in shallow water
Wood engraving "The Bittern, Bog-Bumper, Bitter-Bum or Mire-Drum" from A History of British Birds, Volume 2, "Water Birds", by Thomas Bewick, 1804
Temperament
solitary and secretive
Flight Pattern
slow, deep wingbeats; strong but low flight
Social Behavior
Breeds solitarily in widely spaced territories within large reedbeds. Males establish booming territories in spring; females build platform nests over water and perform all incubation and chick-rearing. Clutches typically contain 4–5 eggs, and the species is polygynous in some populations.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
A resonant, low-frequency boom delivered in a series of spaced notes, often at dawn or dusk, audible over long distances. Also gives grunts and croaks at close range.
