American Bittern or Green Heron? (1 Viewer)

[Dave S]

I saw this at a wetlands today and got this backlit picture. I could not see any dark patches on the head down to the eyes. Is this a bittern? Green Herons are common in this area.

 

[Darrell Clegg]

Hi Dave,

This is a Bittern - the stripes on the neck and breast give it away.

Darrell

 

[crispycreme]

I'll throw in a vote for Green Heron, maybe juvenile, based on my adjusting of the brightness and contrast of the photo, which shows the facial patterns better.

 

[James Eaton]

As Darrell said, the bird is clearly an American Bittern. Thick central throat and breast stripes, greenish legs, pale bill, dark cap just visible and pale underwing coverts.

All the best

James

 

[Thayeri]

As Darrell said, the bird is clearly an American Bittern. Thick central throat and breast stripes, greenish legs, pale bill, dark cap just visible and pale underwing coverts.

All true, but the 1st summer Green Heron found in North America, Butorides virescens, shares four of those six characteristics, and the other two (pale bill and underwing coverts) are difficult to judge due to the backlighting.

That said, I do agree with Darrell and James that the bird is an American Bittern, Botaurus lentiginosus. Dave's photo is of good quality, the backlighting notwithstanding, and you can see the shape of the coverts and primaries, and compare them to the two photo links below (adult Green Heron first, and American Bittern next). Clearly an American Bittern.

http://www.birdsofcorpuschristi.com/albums/longleggedwadingbirds/Green_Heron.jpg
http://www.dsokoll.homestead.com/files/Biterna4.JPG

 

[crispycreme]

Oops, I mistakenly read this as a comparison between a Least Bittern vs. a Green Heron. I withdraw my suggestion. |:$|

 

[Grousemore]

Can be confusing from photos, size difference and jizz makes it easy in the field.
Am Bittern for me in this case.

 

[crispycreme]

...size difference and jizz makes it easy in the field

I will say that the profile of the Am. Bittern in flight is usually depicted a bit differently from this bird (note: I've never seen one in flight, only on the ground). It's shown as having a hunchback shape, instead of the more classical s-curve for the neck that most herons, including this one, display. Thayerii's example shows the American Bittern's hunchback quite nicely, which contrasts quite a bit with Dave's bird.

Just sayin'....

 

[Thayeri]

shows the American Bittern's hunchback quite nicely, which contrasts quite a bit with Dave's bird.

I like this thread because I learned something from it, that will hopefully stay with me the next time that I am see a distant flying heron type in the field (or marsh).

I've seen both birds in flight from fairly close, and they are so different in size and appearance that I hadn't considered not being able to tell the difference, and hadn't worried about learning any more fine points. I can now see however, that with distant Heron like birds, I need to be looking for the the ones with a falcon type point to the tip -- as that (in likely combination with the hunchback feature) will likely mean that I am looking at a Bittern rather than a Heron. Interesting...