Least Bittern

Heron Species Types of Birds Heron Pictures

The Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis), the smallest member of the Ardeidae family living in the United States, inhabits marsh areas primarily in the Eastern United States, with a small West Coast population.

Superficially it resembles the Green Heron, however, its neck and bottom feathers are a lighter tanish color and the chest is striped with white and brownish feathers.

While it shares the name bittern and the same habitat as the American bittern, it belongs to a separate genus in the Ardeidae family.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) lists nine different Ixobrychus species. One, the Black-backed Bittern (Ixobrychus novaezelandiae) went extinct in the nineteenth century.

Aggregate population levels for the other eight, including the Least Bittern, are considered stable. However, in some areas of the Northeast and New England population levels have decreased due to habitat loss, and the Least Bittern is locally listed as an endangered species.

Like the American bittern, they are very secretive birds. They migrate as far south as the northern areas of South America during winter.

© 2009. Patricia A. Michaels