GreatBittern

Great Bittern (Botaurus stellaris) is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae. Bitterns are thickset herons with bright, pale, buffy-brown plumage covered with dark streaks and bars, similar in appearance to the American Bittern, Botaurus lentiginosa. As its alternate name suggests, this species is the largest of the bitterns. The Eurasian or Great Bittern is 69–81 cm in length, with a 100–130 cm wingspan and a body mass of 0.87–1.94 kg. Usually solitary, the Great Bittern forages in reedbeds, walking stealthily or remaining still above a body of water where prey may occur. If it senses that it has been seen, it points its bill directly upwards and becomes motionless so that its cryptic plumage causes it to blend into the surrounding reeds: an action known as bitterning. It is most active at dawn and dusk.