Black bittern facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Black bittern
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Genus:	Ixobrychus
Species:	flavicollis
Synonyms
Dupetor flavicollis

The black bittern (Ixobrychus flavicollis) is a cool bird that lives in wetlands. It's a type of bittern, which are shy, wading birds. You can find them in warm parts of Asia and Australia. Some black bitterns stay in one place, while others travel short distances when the weather changes.

Meet the Black Bittern: What It Looks Like

This bird is quite big for a bittern, growing up to about 58 cm (23 inches) long. It's the largest of its kind in the Ixobrychus group. The black bittern has a fairly long neck and a long, yellow beak.

Adult black bitterns are mostly black on their backs and wings. They have yellow patches on the sides of their necks. Their undersides are whitish with lots of brown streaks. Young black bitterns look similar to adults, but they are dark brown instead of black.

These birds can be hard to spot because they like to hide in reed beds. However, when they fly, their all-black upper parts make them easy to recognize.

Where Black Bitterns Live and Raise Families

Black bitterns build their nests in reed beds, which are areas filled with tall grasses and reeds near water. They make their nests on platforms of reeds, often in shrubs or sometimes in trees. A female black bittern usually lays three to five eggs.

What Black Bitterns Eat

Black bitterns are good hunters. They mainly eat insects, fish, and amphibians like frogs.

Protecting the Black Bittern

The black bittern's conservation status tells us how much we need to protect this species.

Black Bitterns in Australia

In Australia, the black bittern is not currently listed as a threatened species under the main national law, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Black Bitterns in Victoria, Australia

In the state of Victoria, Australia, the black bittern is listed as threatened under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act (1988). This means it needs special protection to help it survive and thrive. On a list from 2007, the black bittern was considered a vulnerable species in Victoria.

Gallery

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  In Kinnerasani Wildlife Sanctuary, Telangana, India

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  In Kinnerasani Wildlife Sanctuary, Telangana, India

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  In Kolkata, West Bengal, India

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  In Kolkata, West Bengal, India

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  In flight in Kolkata, West Bengal, India

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  Black bittern with frog catch at Chilika, Odisha

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  In its natural habitat from wetlands of Ernakuam, Kerala, India