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Family Ardeidae

American Bittern

Status Uncommon in summer, very rare in winter. Breeds. Regular in freshwater or brackish marshes from time of spring arrival, generally in April (average 17 April, earliest 29 March). An unusually early spring sighting was on 16 March 1949, when one was seen flying low over Halifax (H.G.F. Morgan). Late birds are often recorded in November and a number have been reported in late December, evidently attempting to winter. On 31 January 1949 one "was standing close to the fish-ladder where the dammed waters of the Milo Lakes, near Yarmouth, discharge into the harbour. The water at this point is open all winter. The bird seemed to be in good condition" (I.J. Pothier, letter to R.W. Tufts). A weakened individual captured near Wolfville on 12 February 1974 was restored to health on a diet of smelts and frogs.

Description Length: 58-84 cm. Adults: Upperparts finely marked with various shades of brown and buff. Underparts whitish, broadly streaked with brown. A broad black streak extends along the sides of the neck. Immatures: Similar but more buff and without black streak down sides of neck.

Breeding Nest: On the ground, usually in wet places; composed of reeds and other coarse vegetable matter. Cattail swales are favoured sites. Eggs: 3-5; pale olive or buff.

On 12 June 1923 a nest that held three newly hatched young was discovered near Barrington, Shelburne County. It was little more than a soggy mass of rotting vegetation in swampy land among alders and there was no attempt at concealment. Harry Brennan found a nest near his home in Springville, Pictou County, under a small bush on marshy ground near the shore of a lake. On 5 May 1965 it contained two eggs; when visited on 30 May it held five; on 20 June there were four young and one infertile egg in the nest.

On 2 June 1968 Mr. Brennan found two bitterns' nests. They were poorly concealed among short reeds and low deciduous bushes in wet land near Moose River, which runs into Eden Lake, Pictou County. The nests were not over 5 m apart, each being occupied by a sitting bird; visited again on 22 June each contained four young. He further reports having found a nest on 31 May 1969 that held five eggs. Its placement and construction were similar to those just described, but the behaviour of the sitting bird seems noteworthy: it was so loath to leave the nest that it permitted being touched by hand without moving.

From 9 July to 16 August in recent years, I have examined six juvenile bitterns picked up along roadsides near Wolfville and brought to me for identification. All showed traces of natal down about their heads and necks and, though seemingly full-grown, none had acquired the power of flight.

Range Breeds from central British Columbia, southern Mackenzie Valley, northern Manitoba and Newfoundland, south to southern United States. Winters from southwestern British Columbia and Delaware south to Guatemala and Panama.

Remarks A common trait of the bittern is to evade detection by standing motionless with its bill pointing skyward. If the bird is surrounded at such moments by stands of last year's cattails, as is usually the case, the camouflage is excellent.

When cornered, bitterns defend themselves ably with their javelin-like beaks. On one occasion I banded and released a juvenile in a field where cattle were pastured, near a cattail swamp. Drawn by curiosity, a large steer that had been watching the operation at fairly close quarters drew near with head lowered, sniffing audibly, as though to investigate. Instead of beating a hasty retreat to cover, as it could well have done, the bird stood its ground and, with head drawn in close to its body, glared menacingly at the steer. Finally, with a suggestion of timidity, the beast's nose came within inches of the poised bird. Suddenly the sharp beak shot out and upward, stabbing the animal viciously on the tender part of its nostril, whereupon, with a loud snort and tail held high, the steer turned and went galloping across the field. The bird, after gaining its composure, slowly strode off in a dignified manner and soon disappeared among the cattails.

Bitterns might be confused with the young of Black-crowned or Yellow-crowned Night Herons, but the latter have no black streak on the sides of the neck, and the coarse white spots on their wings are very different from the finely vermiculated pattern of bittern wings. Furthermore, bitterns are decidedly tawny in contrast to the grayer plumage of the night herons.

The vocal performance of the male bittern, heard chiefly during mating season, is unique and weird. The notes, uttered between short intervals of silence, are produced or accompanied by grotesque contortions of the neck. Some say they sound like the working of an old-fashioned pump. Others liken them to the sound produced when one drives a stake into wet boggy land, hence the name "stake-driver" by which the bird is known to many. To me its note suggests neither of these. It is more like a low gulp, which under favourable conditions can be heard for a considerable distance.