American Bittern
Botaurus lentiginosus
Most of these elusive herons breed from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts of North America. Much of their range is above the 39th parallel in the USA, and north as far as south-central Northwest Territories in Canada. Some of these birds breed in California’s Central Valley, the Pacific Northwest, and parts of the intermountain western USA. But most of them summer in the northern prairies in North America’s heartland, and the Canadian lands between the Great Lakes and Hudson Bay.
Their preferred breeding habitat is in freshwater wetlands with tall vegetation. But they sometimes use sparsely vegetated wetlands. They build their nest in the dense cover such places provide.
In winter, most of these birds wander to Florida and the Gulf of Mexico in the southern USA, but some continue south to southern Mexico, Cuba and the West Indies.
Today, science considers the American Bittern as monotypic (i.e. they recognize no subspecies).
Often very reclusive birds, these American Bitterns in California’s Central Valley cooperated with me. If they sense they’ve been spotted, they become motionless. With bills pointed upward, they blend with nearby reeds, even synchronizing their sway if the wind is blowing. The first two images in this set illustrate this behavior.
15 Photos
American Bittern(Botaurus lentiginosus) |
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Description: Mimicking a reed at Merced NWR, south of Merced, in California's Central Valley USA 2011-12-27. |
Date Taken: 2011:12:27 15:41 |
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Location:
Merced NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 |
File Name: AmericanBittern_D3X5124-MercedNWR |
| © 2011 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
American Bittern(Botaurus lentiginosus) |
|
Description: Mimicking a reed at Merced NWR, south of Merced, in California's Central Valley USA 2011-12-27. |
Date Taken: 2011:12:27 15:41 |
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Location:
Merced NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/320 |
File Name: AmericanBittern_D3X5131-MercedNWR |
| © 2011 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
American Bittern(Botaurus lentiginosus) |
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Description: A lucky first-thing-in-the-morning meeting at the Colusa NWR east of Williams California. |
Date Taken: 2019:07:31 8:29 |
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Location:
Colusa NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: AmericanBittern_D5X0109-ColusaNWR |
| © 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
American Bittern(Botaurus lentiginosus) |
|
Description: (Botaurus lentiginosus) Stalking a meal at Merced NWR, south of Merced, in California's Central Valley USA 2011-12-29. |
Date Taken: 2011:12:29 10:01 |
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Location:
Merced NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/200 |
File Name: D3X5929-AmericanBittern |
| © 2011 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging |
American Bittern(Botaurus lentiginosus) |
|
Description: (Botaurus lentiginosus) Stalking a meal at Merced NWR, south of Merced, in California's Central Valley USA 2011-12-29. |
Date Taken: 2011:12:29 10:05 |
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Location:
Merced NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 |
File Name: D3X5943-AmericanBittern |
| © 2011 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging |
American Bittern(Botaurus lentiginosus) |
|
Description: My first encounter with this species. Stealth walking at Merced NWR, south of Merced, in California's Central Valley USA 2011-12-29. |
Date Taken: 2011:12:29 10:06 |
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Location:
Merced NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/800 |
File Name: D3X5959-AmericanBittern |
| © 2011 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
American Bittern(Botaurus lentiginosus) |
|
Description: My first encounter with this species. Stalking a meal at Merced NWR, south of Merced, in California's Central Valley USA 2011-12-29. |
Date Taken: 2011:12:29 10:07 |
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Location:
Merced NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 |
File Name: D3X5971-AmericanBittern |
| © 2011 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
American Bittern(Botaurus lentiginosus) |
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Description: Ambush predatory behaviour at Sacramento NWR, between Willows and Williams, in the northern section of California's Central Valley USA 2011-12-31. |
Date Taken: 2011:12:31 10:14 |
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Location:
Sacramento NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 |
File Name: D3X6137-AmericanBittern |
| © 2011 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
American Bittern(Botaurus lentiginosus) |
|
Description: Ambush predatory behaviour at Sacramento NWR, between Willows and Williams, in the northern section of California's Central Valley USA 2011-12-31. |
Date Taken: 2011:12:31 10:17 |
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Location:
Sacramento NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/800 |
File Name: D3X6142-AmericanBittern |
| © 2011 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
American Bittern(Botaurus lentiginosus) |
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Description: Ambush predatory behaviour at Sacramento NWR, between Willows and Williams, in the northern section of California's Central Valley USA 2011-12-31. |
Date Taken: 2011:12:31 10:20 |
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Location:
Sacramento NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 |
File Name: D3X6160-AmericanBittern |
| © 2011 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
American Bittern(Botaurus lentiginosus) |
|
Description: A lucky first-thing-in-the-morning meeting at the Colusa NWR east of Williams California. |
Date Taken: 2019:07:31 8:32 |
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Location:
Colusa NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: AmericanBittern_D5X0116-ColusaNWR |
| © 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
American Bittern(Botaurus lentiginosus) |
|
Description: A lucky first-thing-in-the-morning meeting at the Colusa NWR east of Williams California. |
Date Taken: 2019:07:31 8:33 |
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Location:
Colusa NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: AmericanBittern_D5X0132-ColusaNWR |
| © 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
American Bittern(Botaurus lentiginosus) |
|
Description: A lucky first-thing-in-the-morning meeting at the Colusa NWR east of Williams California. |
Date Taken: 2019:07:31 8:32 |
|
Location:
Colusa NWR |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: AmericanBittern_D5X0125-ColusaNWR |
| © 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
American Bittern(Botaurus lentiginosus) |
|
Description: A lucky first-thing-in-the-morning meeting at the Colusa NWR east of Williams California. |
Date Taken: 2019:07:31 8:32 |
|
Location:
Colusa NWR |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: AmericanBittern_D5X0120-ColusaNWR |
| © 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
American Bittern(Botaurus lentiginosus) |
|
Description: My first encounter with this species. Stealth walking at Merced NWR, south of Merced, in California's Central Valley USA 2011-12-29. |
Date Taken: 2011:12:29 10:06 |
|
Location:
Merced NWR |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/800 |
File Name: Sketch-D3X5959-AmericanBittern |
| © 2011 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
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