Eurasian bittern: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the Eurasian bittern lives – recorded in 40 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Botaurus stellaris
Group	Herons, storks, cranes & flamingos
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	40 countries
Continents	Asia, Europe
Mass	42 g (birth weight); 2.91 kg (male organism, adult weight); 2.02 kg (female organism, adult weight)
Class	Bird
Order	Pelecaniformes
Family	Ardeidae

Where does the Eurasian bittern live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the Eurasian bittern in 40 countries and territories across Asia and Europe. Wikidata gives its range as: Nanling Mountains, Africa, Poland.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

How big is an Eurasian bittern?

Wikidata records the following for the Eurasian bittern: mass 42 g (birth weight); 2.91 kg (male organism, adult weight); 2.02 kg (female organism, adult weight).

Is the Eurasian bittern endangered?

The Eurasian bittern’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the Eurasian bittern?

The Eurasian bittern (Botaurus stellaris) is a bird in the order Pelecaniformes and the family Ardeidae, genus Botaurus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the Eurasian bittern

The Eurasian bittern or great bittern (Botaurus stellaris) is a wading bird in the bittern subfamily (Botaurinae) of the heron family Ardeidae. There are two subspecies, the northern race (B. s. stellaris) breeding in parts of Europe and across the Palearctic, as well as on the northern coast of Africa, while the southern race (B. s. capensis) is endemic to parts of southern Africa. It is a secretive bird, seldom seen in the open as it prefers to skulk in reed beds and thick vegetation near water bodies. Its presence is apparent in the spring, when the booming call of the male during the breeding season can be heard. It feeds on fish, small mammals, fledgling birds, amphibians, crustaceans and insects.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Eurasian bittern (revision 1376023720), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q25709 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).