Listen to the little bittern
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the little bittern
The little bittern is a bird in the family Ardeidae (order Pelecaniformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults have a wingspan of about 49 cm and weigh around 147 g.
What does the little bittern sound like?
Bird vocalisations are usually divided into songs – longer, often complex phrases used to defend territory and attract mates, sung mostly by males in the breeding season – and calls: short, simple sounds for contact, alarm, begging or flight.
The recordings here are labelled as flight call. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The little bittern (Botaurus minutus) is a wading bird in the heron family, Ardeidae. This species was formerly placed in the genus Ixobrychus.
More from the family Ardeidae
Grey heron
Ardea cinerea
Great egret
Ardea alba
Black-crowned night heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
Eurasian bittern
Botaurus stellaris
Little egret
Egretta garzetta
Purple heron
Ardea purpurea
Striated heron
Butorides striata
Indian pond heron
Ardeola grayii
Agami heron
Agamia agami
American bittern
Botaurus lentiginosus
Black-headed heron
Ardea melanocephala
Green heron
Butorides virescens
Frequently asked questions
What does a little bittern sound like?
You can hear 1 recording of the little bittern on this page, including its flight call. Bird vocalisations are usually divided into songs – longer, often complex phrases used to defend territory and attract mates, sung mostly by males in the breeding season – and calls: short, simple sounds for contact, alarm, begging or flight.
Is the little bittern endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the little bittern as “least concern”.
What family does the little bittern belong to?
The little bittern (Botaurus minutus) belongs to the family Ardeidae in the order Pelecaniformes.
Sources & credits
- Flight call · Área Metropolitana de Sevilla (near Isla Mayor), Sevilla… by Joost van Bruggen – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q25587867 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Little bittern – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Marek Szczepanek – CC BY-SA 3.0