Endangered Species: American Bittern

January 22, 2026

Endangered Species: American Bittern

American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus)

Measurements

Length: 23.6-33.5 in (60-85 cm)

Weight: 13.1-17.6 oz (370-500 g)

Wingspan: 36.2 in (92 cm)

Overview

The American Bittern is a medium-sized heron known for its camouflage and secretive nature. It stands between 23–34 inches. It features a stocky body with buff and brown-streaked plumage designed to mimic the dead marsh vegetation in its environment. They carry interesting features like their yellow eyes (which turn orange during breeding) and its specialized esophagus, which allows it to produce a deep, booming "pump-er-lunk" call. This boom call is commonly used by the males when declaring their territory, or when they feel fearful of danger. It is currently on Pennsylvania’s list of endangered animals, although it doesn’t make the Federal list of endangered species.

Habitat and Distribution

You can commonly find the American Bittern in large freshwater wetlands. They enjoy hanging around wetland borders like lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams. When it comes to breeding they prefer to have tall plants around such as cattails, tall grasses, or patches of bullrushes. Their breeding primarily happens in Canada and the United States. During their time of migration Bitterns may be willing to visit a wider variety of wet habitats, including small marshes, wet meadows, and ditches of water. They most commonly spend their winters in the lands of Florida and along the Gulf of Mexico. When they lay eggs they tend to be in bunches of 3-7 eggs with an olive brown color to them. The eggs then take about 24-48 days until they hatch. Afterwards the baby American Bittern Heron takes another 2 weeks in the nest before going off on its own.

Diet

These beautiful great birds prey upon amphibians like frogs, fish, snakes, crayfish, and insects. Among other insects that are available to them too. They tend to not be picky eaters.

Behavior

When an American Bittern feels threatened, it will freeze, look straight upward and remain still. When wanting to declare territory, it inflates and boasts its throat making its pumper lug call.

Reasons for Endangerment

The American Bittern is dependent upon wetlands and marshes to be able to survive. In the state of Pennsylvania these types of environments have reduced by about 50% since this country has started. Things such as sedimentation, eutrophication, and chemical pollution have served as a primary purpose to the decline in habitable wetlands for these birds. Encroachment of human life and development has also played a heavy part towards depriving these birds of their home lands.

What Ecologists Are Doing

Ecological scientists, especially those specialized in swine like the American Bittern have marked, and been keeping track of each bittern and each of the marshes that houses them. There are also ecological preservation companies that collect rights from property owners to protect the land from development. By preventing the land from being developed this helps to assist in keeping the homes for the American Bittern to thrive. Biologist that track these birds, will continue to track their travels and nesting rates to monitor for any changes.

What you Can do as a citizen.

There are a number of bird tracking apps that you can get involved in such as ‘inature’, and ‘ebird’. With these apps every day people like you and I can have fun identifying the nature around us and learning more about it. While we do this it also registers that we saw that animal or plant there, and it puts it into a data base that the Ecological scientists can tap into to do further research and better monitor for any chances in the ecosystem. They actually love it when people get involved, because there are only so many of them and many more of us. So because of this they are able to collect a plethora more information for more accurate research.

You can also monitor the amount of chemicals you put out into the land you occupy. If you can find ways to avoid using fertilizers and be as all natural as possible. You can also look out for any bills introduced in your state's legislation or do further research for any local Audubon groups that you can join and learn more and get more involved. If anything pops up in your state legislation for the environment, vote towards protecting our nature. You would need to check which one of your state reps represents that area of specialty.