Rate of Decline: 59 percent in 40 years
Global Population: 3.0 million
Continental Population: 3.0 million now, 7.3 million 40 years ago
Watch List Status: 
Appearance: A two-foot tall brown and tan striped wading bird. Often difficult to see standing among marsh plants, but the long bill and black neck mark are decisive. When flying, the outer wing is grayish black, contrasting with the grayish brown inner wing.
Vocalization: The song is a loud, booming
"oog-ka-chuk." Listen (© Lang Elliot, Nature Sound Studio).
Habitat: Breeds in freshwater wetlands with tall, emergent vegetation. Non-breeding habitats are similar, but can also include brackish wetlands and uplands (especially for foraging).
Range: Breeding area covers most of the Canadian provinces and the northern half of the contiguous United States. Winters along most of the Pacific and Atlantic (from New Jersey south) coasts of the United States, south to Cuba and throughout most of Mexico to Central America.
Feeding: Forages in tall vegetation near edges and shorelines, consuming insects, amphibians, small fish and mammals, and crayfish. The American Bittern is a solitary feeder, and it uses stealth and its cryptic coloration to avoid detection by prey.
Reproduction: The nest is constructed in dense vegetation over water and is composed of a platform of reeds, sedges, or cattails, and a lining of fine grasses. The range for clutch size is 2-7 eggs, although 3-5 is most typical.
Conservation Issues & Efforts:
- Threats: American Bitterns are impacted by the loss of large wetland areas; incursions by invasive plants such as phragmites and purple loosestrife; a decline in amphibian populations that provide food; and diminished wetland water quality.
- Outlook: The American Bittern is a bellwether for the health and future of wetlands throughout its range. Stabilizing its decline will depend upon improved wetland conservation.
What Can You Do:
- Protect the Boreal Forest
Promote conservation of the Canadian boreal forest by supporting the Boreal Songbird Initiative that works to save Canadian boreal habitat for all birds, specifically by fighting inappropriate logging, mining, and drilling, and by promoting the designation of protected areas.
- Preserve Farmlands
Promote strong conservation provisions in the federal farm bill, especially the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which pays farmers to keep marginal farmlands idle and supports millions of acres of good bird habitat. Contact your county’s office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) or Farm Service Agency (FSA) to find out how to increase the number of acres devoted to helping birds dependent on farmlands.
- Conserve Wetlands
Support wetlands conservation programs such as the Clean Water Act, North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), and Farm Bill conservation programs such as the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), and “swampbuster” (the rule that restricts wetlands from being converted to agriculture). Encourage governments at all levels to enact and enforce wetlands protection and water quality laws and regulations.
For more Information:
References:
Gibbs, J.P., S. Melvin, and F.A. Reid (1992). American Bittern (
Botaurus lentiginosus).
The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences and Washington, DC: The American Ornithologists’ Union. Retrieved from The Birds of North America Online database:
http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/BNA/account/American_Bittern/
Kaufman, Kenn.
Guía de campo a las aves de Norteamérica. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005.
