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American Bittern


American Bittern
Photo Information
Copyright: Tom Peak (tkp1165) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 152 W: 12 N: 547] (3580)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-09-23
Categories: Birds
Camera: Nikon D 80, Sigma 50-500mm f4-6.3 DG EX APO HSM
Exposure: f/22, 1/1000 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2007-09-26 1:54
Viewed: 574
Points: 8
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Thanks to cuckooroller for bring it to my attention. I was mistaken on the identity of this bird. I do believe it is a American Bittern. After looking at my earlier post of my Green Heron there is a big differents in the two of them. I apologize for steering any one wrong on the identity of this American Bittern.


This was taken at the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge

Cropped
Sharpened
Framed
Hand held, resting on top of truck window

The American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae.

It is a large, chunky, brown bird, very similar to the Eurasian Great Bittern, Botaurus stellaris. It is 59-70 cm (23-27 inches) in length, with a 95-115 cm (37 - 45 inch) wingspan.

Although common in much of its range, the American Bittern is usually well-hidden in bogs, marshes and wet meadows. Usually solitary, it walks stealthily among cattails or bullrushes. If it senses that it has been seen, the American Bittern becomes motionless, with its bill pointed upward, causing it to blend into the reeds. It is most active at dusk. More often heard than seen, this bittern has a call that resembles a congested pump.

Like other members of the heron family, the American Bittern feeds in marshes and shallow ponds, dining on amphibians, fish, insects and reptiles.

This bittern winters in the southern United States and Central America. It summers throughout Canada and much of the United States. As a long-distance migrant, it is a very rare vagrant in Europe, including Great Britain and Ireland. This bird nests in isolated places with the female building the nest and the male guarding it. Two or three eggs get incubated by the female for 29 days, and the chicks leave after 6-7 weeks.

No subspecies are accepted today. However, fossils found in the Ichetucknee River, Florida, and originally described as a new form of heron (Palaeophoyx columbiana; McCoy, 1963) were later recognized to be a smaller, prehistoric subspecies of the American Bittern which lived during the Late Pleistocene (Olson, 1974) and would thus be called B. l. columbianus.

This bird's numbers have declined in the southern parts of its range due to habitat loss.

Many of the folk names[citation needed] are given for its distinctive call made by inhaling and exhaling large quantities of air.

Note From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To vanderschelden: Wrong Identitytkp1165 2 09-27 09:07
To cuckooroller: I think your right.tkp1165 2 09-26 22:07
To martic: Wrong Identitytkp1165 1 09-26 18:45
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi Tom,
Not Butorides. This is a more interesting and harder to catch out in the open bird. I will let you tussle with what it really is, then if you don't get the ID, I will tell you later on. Nice shot of this species. A hint: the narrow transverse barring of the coverts, primaries, and rectrices...

Hi Tom,
Great shot of this heron, excellent details of plumage, colors and DOF
very well done
Regards
Jean-Michel

Hello Tom,
Good moment here...
Well done
TFS
Annick

Hello Tom,
This does resemble a juvenile Green Heron with the yellow legs, although it also resembles the American Bittern, although the Bittern has more of a blue color on their legs and not yellow.
Excellent catch regardless...
Steve

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