Bird Guide Herons, Egrets, Bitterns Least Bittern
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Least Bittern

Least Bittern
At a Glance Range & Identification Conservation Explore More Back to Top

At a Glance

All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category
Herons, Egrets, Bitterns
IUCN Status
Least Concern
Habitat
Coasts and Shorelines, Freshwater Wetlands, Lakes, Ponds, and Rivers, Saltwater Wetlands
Region
California, Eastern Canada, Florida, Great Lakes, Mid Atlantic, New England, Northwest, Plains, Rocky Mountains, Southeast, Southwest, Texas, Western Canada
Behavior
Direct Flight, Flushes

Range & Identification

Migration & Range Maps

Description

Size
About the size of a Crow, About the size of a Robin
Color
Black, Brown, Tan, White, Yellow
Wing Shape
Broad, Pointed, Short
Tail Shape
Short

Songs and Calls

Call Pattern
Flat, Simple
Call Type
Hoot, Scream

Conservation

Change in Abundance Over Time
Drawing on more than a century of community science from the Christmas Bird Count (CBC), this chart shows how this species’ relative abundance has shifted in recent decades. Explore more and get involved in the CBC.

Climate Map

Audubon’s scientists have used 140 million bird observations and sophisticated climate models to project how climate change will affect the range of the Least Bittern. Learn even more in Audubon’s Survival By Degrees project.

Climate Threats Facing the Least Bittern

Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases. The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk will affect other wildlife and people, too.

Explore More

Murals, Art, and Culture

Artists throughout history and across the U.S. have captured this bird in murals, books, and museum hangings. See what they’ve done: