Other Names (World)
Common Little Bittern, Little Bittern, Kaoriki, Minute Bittern, Leech Bittern, Australian Little Bittern, New Zealand Little Bittern
Derivation
Ixo-brÿ'-chus - Gk, ixos, reed; Gk, brychein, to roar: min-ü'-tus - L., little
Habitat
Terrestrial wetlands, and occasionally, estuarine and littoral habitats, with dense vegetation in freshwater swamps, lakes and watercourses, particularly in patches of tall sedge, reeds or rushes.
Afghanistan (B), Albania (B), Algeria, Angola, Armenia (B), Australia (B), Austria (B), Azerbaijan (B), Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus (B), Belgium (B), Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina (B), Botswana, Bulgaria (B) (NB), Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, China (mainland), Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], Côte dIvoire, Croatia (Local Name: Hrvatska) (B), Cyprus (P), Czech Republic (B), Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia (B), Ethiopia, France (B) (NB) (P), Gabon, Gambia, Georgia (B) (P), Germany (B) (P), Ghana, Greece (B) (NB) (P), Guinea, Guinea-bissau, Hungary (B), India, Indonesia, Iran [Islamic Republic of] (B), Iraq (B) (P), Israel (B), Italy (B) (NB), Jordan (B) (P), Kazakhstan (B), Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan (B), Latvia (B), Lesotho, Liberia, Lithuania (B), Luxembourg (B), Macedonia [The Former Yugoslav Republic of] (B), Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Malta (B), Mauritania, Moldova [Republic of] (B), Montenegro (B), Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands Antilles (B), Niger, Nigeria, Oman (B), Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Poland (B), Portugal (B), Qatar, Romania (B) (P), Russia (Asian) (B), Russia (Central Asian) (B), Russia (European) (B), Rwanda, Saudi Arabia (B), Senegal, Serbia (B), Sierra Leone, Slovakia (Slovak Republic) (B), Slovenia (B), Somalia, South Africa, Spain (B) (NB), Sudan, Swaziland, Switzerland (B), Syrian Arab Republic (B), Tajikistan (B), Tanzania [United Republic of], Togo, Tunisia, Turkey (B), Turkmenistan (B), Uganda, Ukraine (B) (P), United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan (B), Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Vagrant to Barbados, Cape Verde, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Iceland, Ireland, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Liechtenstein, Mongolia, New Zealand, Norway, Sâo Tomé e Principe, Sweden (B), United Kingdom (B).
Population
Estimated population is 76,000 - 610,000 (2010).
Status LC
Habitat degradation and loss through direct destruction, pollution and hydrological changes are the main threats. Drought and desertification on African staging and wintering grounds may also be a concern.
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.
Food
Small fish, frogs and aquatic animals.
Voice
Mostly silent. A sharp, 'cr-aa-ak, khok-kuk-kuk-kuk-', is uttered when flushed from the nest. During the breeding season male utters a repetitive, resonant, 'ook-ook-ook-ook-ook-' or 'corr-orr-orr-orr-', the notes at 0.5 second intervals, the sequence lasting about 10 seconds. The female utters soft crooning sounds at the nest. A 'kerk' in flight.
Little Bittern (Ixobrychus) [XC895342]
by BirdingAlbufera from Pla\u00e7a Vila VNG - Catalunya, Spain (flight call)
Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus) [XC802341]
by Joost van Bruggen from Arrondissement de Chinon (near Rill\u00e9), Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire, France (song)
Nest
Flimsy platform composed of seedheads, short live and dead segments of stems, fine twigs and grass, tree bark, green leaves or reeds, fine sedges and rushes, in dense to fairly dense reedbeds and rushes. Usually nests singly but may form loose colonies in favourable habitats with neighbouring nests as close as 5 m apart (solitary nests are usually 30 - 100 m apart). Nests are often reused in consecutive years.
Eggs (Guide)
4 - 7; white; oval; about 30 x 25 mm. Incubation: 16 - 19 days; by both sexes.
Young
Semi-altricial, semi-nidicolous. Fledge in about 28 days.
Subspecies
Ixobrychus minutus was split into Common Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus) and Ixobrychus dubius by Christidis and Boles (2008) by this treatment is not recognised by BirdLife International.
minutus (Linnaeus, 1766) - Europe, Mediterranean, western Siberia, Middle East to Kashmir.
payesii (Hartlaub, 1858) - Africa, south of Sahara.
podiceps (Bonaparte, 1855) - Madagascar.
dubius Mathews, 1912 - Australia, southern New Guinea. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Australian Little Bittern (Ixobrychus dubius).
novaezelandiae! (Potts, 1871) - Formerly South I. (New Zealand). Probably extinct. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, New Zealand Little Bittern (Ixobrychus novaezelandiae).
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
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BirdLife International Species Factsheet