Difference between revisions of "Little Bittern" - BirdForum Opus

Photo © by Steve Garvie
S'Albufera de Mallorca

Ixobrychus minutus

Identification

27-38 cm (10½-15 in) in length, 40-58 cm wingspan and 60-150 g weight.
Buff underparts, black back and crown, wings are black with a large white patch on each wing.
The female has a browner back and a buff-brown wing patch.

Distribution

Female
Photo © by john-henry
Lesvos, Greece, May 2004

Photo © by Steve.Jonesy
Algarve, Portugal, June 2019

Africa, central and southern Europe, western and southern Asia, and Australasia.
Europe: Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Faroe Islands, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Portugal, Madeira, Spain, Ibiza, Mallorca, Canary Islands, Monaco, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria, Italy, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Yugoslavia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Macedonia, Greece, Crete, Corfu, Malta, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine
Northern Africa: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt
Western Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola
Eastern Africa: Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi
Southern Africa: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, eSwatini
African Islands: Cape Verde, Gulf of Guinea Islands, Sao Tome, Principe, Madagascar
Middle East: Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia
Asia: Russia, Siberia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Mongolia, China, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Eastern and Western Himalayas
The Caribbean: vagrant to Barbados^[3].

Taxonomy

Subspecies

There are 3 subspecies^[1]:

I. m. minutus:

Central and southern Europe to Siberia; North Africa

I. m. payesii:

Africa south of the Sahara

I. m. podiceps:

Madagascar

Black-backed Bittern was split from this species.

Habitat

Reedbeds

Behaviour

Breeding

It nests on platforms of reeds in shrubs, and 4-8 eggs are laid.

Diet

Diet includes insects, fish and amphibians.

Vocalisation

References

Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Avibase
51st supplement to the AOU checklist of North American birds

List of references

Recommended Citation

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Little Bittern. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Little_Bittern.

External Links

Search for photos of Little Bittern in the gallery

Search for videos of Little Bittern in the gallery

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[Image:Little_Bittern.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by {{user|Steve+G|Steve Garvie}} <br /> [[S'Albufera es Grau (S'Albufera des Grao)|S'Albufera de Mallorca]]]]
+[[Image:Little_Bittern.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo &copy; by {{user|Steve+G|Steve Garvie}} <br /> [[S'Albufera es Grau (S'Albufera des Grao)|S'Albufera de Mallorca]]]]
 ;[[:Category:Ixobrychus|Ixobrychus]] minutus
 ==Identification==
--36 cm in length, 40-58 cm wingspan and 60-150 g weight.<br />
+-38 cm (10½-15 in) in length, 40-58 cm wingspan and 60-150 g weight.<br />
 Buff underparts, black back and crown, wings are black with a large white patch on each wing.<br />
 The '''female''' has a browner back and a buff-brown wing patch.
 ==Distribution==
-[[Image:15559little-bittern-fem.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Female<br />Photo by {{user|john-henry|john-henry}}<br />Lesvos, [[Greece]], May 2004]]
+[[Image:15559little-bittern-fem.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Female<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|john-henry|john-henry}}<br />Lesvos, [[Greece]], May 2004]]
+[[Image:A2E89296-D0B2-4D22-B226-807CBCDC76E6.jpeg|thumb|350px|right|Photo &copy; by {{user|Steve.Jonesy|Steve.Jonesy}}<br />[[Algarve]], [[Portugal]], June 2019]]
 [[Africa]], central and southern [[Europe]], western and southern [[Asia]], and [[Australasia]].<br />
 '''Europe''': [[Iceland]], [[Norway]], [[Sweden]], [[Finland]], [[Faroe Islands]], The [[Netherlands]], [[Belgium]], [[Luxembourg]], [[France]], [[Portugal]], [[Madeira]], [[Spain]], [[Ibiza]], [[Mallorca]], [[Canary Islands]], [[Monaco]], [[Switzerland]], [[Liechtenstein]], [[Germany]], [[Austria]], [[Italy]], [[Estonia]], [[Latvia]], [[Lithuania]], [[Belarus]], [[Poland]], [[Czechoslovakia]], [[Slovakia]], [[Hungary]], [[Slovenia]], [[Croatia]], [[Yugoslavia]], [[Montenegro]], [[Serbia]], [[Albania]], [[Macedonia]], [[Greece]], [[Crete]], [[Corfu]], [[Malta]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Romania]], [[Ukraine]]<br />
 '''Northern Africa''': [[Morocco]], [[Algeria]], [[Tunisia]], [[Libya]], [[Egypt]]<br />
 '''Western Africa''': [[Mauritania]], [[Senegal]], [[The Gambia]], [[Guinea-Bissau]], [[Guinea]], [[Mali]], [[Sierra Leone]], [[Liberia]], [[Ivory Coast]], [[Ghana]], [[Togo]], [[Nigeria]], [[Niger]], [[Chad]], [[Cameroon]], [[Central African Republic]], [[Equatorial Guinea]], [[Gabon]], [[Congo]], [[Democratic Republic of Congo]], [[Angola]]<br />
-[[Image:Bird23.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Photo by {{user|Bonnan|Bonnán}}<br />Ayia Reservoir, [[Crete]], October 2008]]
 '''Eastern Africa''': [[Sudan]], [[Eritrea]], [[Ethiopia]], [[Djibouti]], [[Somalia]], [[Kenya]], [[Uganda]], [[Rwanda]], [[Burundi]], [[Tanzania]], [[Zanzibar]], [[Zambia]], [[Mozambique]], [[Malawi]]<br />
-'''Southern Africa''': [[Namibia]], [[Botswana]], [[Zimbabwe]], [[South Africa]], [[KwaZulu-Natal]], [[Lesotho]], [[Swaziland]]<br />
+'''Southern Africa''': [[Namibia]], [[Botswana]], [[Zimbabwe]], [[South Africa]], [[KwaZulu-Natal]], [[Lesotho]], [[eSwatini]]<br />
 '''African Islands''': [[Cape Verde]], Gulf of Guinea Islands, [[Sao Tome]], [[Principe]], [[Madagascar]]<br />
 '''Middle East''': [[Turkey]], [[Cyprus]], [[Syria]], [[Lebanon]], [[Israel]], [[Jordan]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Yemen]], [[Oman]], [[United Arab Emirates]], [[Qatar]], [[Bahrain]], [[Kuwait]], [[Iraq]], [[Iran]], [[Armenia]], [[Azerbaijan]], [[Georgia]]<br />
 '''Asia''':  [[Russia]], [[Siberia]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Uzbekistan]], [[Turkmenistan]], [[Afghanistan]], [[Mongolia]], [[China]], [[Nepal]], [[Pakistan]], [[India]], Eastern and Western [[Himalayas]]<br />
 '''The [[Caribbean]]''': vagrant to [[Barbados]]<sup>[[#References|[3]]]</sup>.
 ==Taxonomy==
-There are three subspecies
-====Subspecies<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>====
+====Subspecies====
+There are 3 subspecies<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>:
 *''I. m. minutus'':
 :*Central and southern [[Europe]] to [[Siberia]]; North [[Africa]]
@@ Line 36: / Line 38: @@
 Diet includes insects, fish and amphibians.
 ====Vocalisation====
-<flashmp3>Ixobrychus minutus (song).mp3</flashmp3><br />
+{{ Audio|Ixobrychus minutus (song).mp3 }}
-''[[Media:Ixobrychus minutus (song).mp3|Listen in an external program]]''
 ==References==
-#{{Ref-Clements6thAug11}}#Avibase
+#{{Ref-Clements6thAug18}}#Avibase
 #[http://www.bioone.org/doi/pdf/10.1525/auk.2010.127.3.726 51st supplement to the AOU checklist of North American birds]
 {{ref}}.
 ==External Links==
-{{GSearch|Ixobrychus+minutus}}
+{{GSearch|"Ixobrychus minutus" {{!}} "Little Bittern"}}
+<br />
+{{VSearch|"Ixobrychus minutus" {{!}} "Little Bittern"}}
+{{GS-checked}}1
+<br />
 <br />
-{{Video|Little_Bittern}}
-[[Category:Birds]][[Category:Ixobrychus]][[Category:Bird Songs]][[Category:Videos]]
+[[Category:Birds]][[Category:Ixobrychus]][[Category:Bird Songs]] [[Category:Videos]]