Eurasian bittern
Botaurus stellaris (Linnaeus, 1758)
The Eurasian bittern (Botaurus stellaris), also called the great bittern or common bittern, is a bird in the family Ardeidae and the order Pelecaniformes. It is a medium-sized, partially migratory bird of wetland habitat that forages on the ground and is classed as an aquatic predator and carnivore.
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Quick facts about the Eurasian bittern
Adults have a representative body mass of 1.3 kg, with reported values from 1.2 to 2.9 kg, and a wingspan of 1.27 m. It lays a clutch of 5 eggs once per year, incubates them for 25.5 days, reaches sexual maturity at 1.7 years and is listed as Least Concern, not an IUCN threatened category.
- Weight
- 1.22 kg – 2.91 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 1.27 msrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 11.3 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- wetlandsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 25.5 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 4.6 – 5src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 18 months – 2 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Reproduction
- Eggssrc for Reproduction
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Partialsrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the Eurasian bittern?
Photos of the Eurasian bittern
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the Eurasian bittern live?
Not recorded
What is the Eurasian bittern?
The Eurasian bittern or great bittern (Botaurus stellaris) is a wading bird in the bittern subfamily (Botaurinae) of the heron family Ardeidae. There are two subspecies, the northern race (B. s. stellaris) breeding in parts of Europe and across the Palearctic, as well as on the northern coast of Africa, while the southern race (B. s. capensis) is endemic to parts of southern Africa. It is a secretive bird, seldom seen in the open as it prefers to skulk in reed beds and thick vegetation near water bodies. Its presence is apparent in the spring, when the booming call of the male during the breeding season can be heard. It feeds on fish, small mammals, fledgling birds, amphibians, crustaceans and insects.
The nest is usually built among reeds at the edge of bodies of water. The female incubates the clutch of eggs and feeds the young chicks, which leave the nest when about two weeks old. She continues to care for them until they are fully fledged some six weeks later.
With its specific habitat requirements and the general reduction in wetlands across its range, the population is thought to be in decline globally. However the decline is slow, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its overall conservation status as being of "least concern". Nevertheless, some local populations are at risk and the population of the southern race has declined more dramatically and is cause for concern. In the United Kingdom it is one of the most threatened of all bird species.
From the Wikipedia article “Eurasian bittern” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eurasian_bittern&oldid=1382460681), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
What does the Eurasian bittern sound like?
Is the Eurasian bittern endangered?
The Eurasian bittern is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the Eurasian bittern classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPelecaniformes
- familyArdeidae
- genusBotaurus
- SpeciesBotaurus stellaris (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Ardea stellaris
Other names and names in other languages (143)
- BitternEnglish
- Common bitternEnglish
- Great bitternEnglish
- GrootrietreierAfrikaans
- Grootrietreier (Roerdomp)Afrikaans
- Moos-ChueAlbanian
- واق عظيمArabic
- واق أوراسيArabic
- واق أوروبيArabic
- واق أوراسي كبيرArabic
- AvetoroAragonese
- botoruAsturian
- AvetoruAsturian
- Iri danquşuAzerbaijani
- МөншөгөрBashkir
- Чапля-бугайBelarusian
- Вялікі бугайBelarusian
- Воден бикBulgarian
- Голям воден бикBulgarian
- Bongorz brasBreton
- BitóCatalan
- bitó comúCatalan
- ВӹдӱшкӱжMari
- Шур вӑкӑрӗChuvash
- Пысӑк чӑмӑшChuvash
- bukač velkýCzech
- BuddaiWelsh
- Adar y BwnWelsh
- aderyn y bwnWelsh
- BuddairWelsh
- Bwm y GorsWelsh
- Bwmp y GorsWelsh
- Tabwrdd y BawWelsh
- rørdrumDanish
- RohrdommelGerman
- Große RohrdommelGerman
- ރަން ރާބޮނދިDivehi
- ΉταυροςGreek
- Ευρασιατικός ΉταυροςGreek
- Granda botaŭroEsperanto
- ordinara botaŭroEsperanto
- Avetoro comúnSpanish
- hüüpEstonian
- Txori zezen arruntBasque
- بوتیمار بزرگPersian
- kaulushaikaraFinnish
- MækjuglámurFaroese
- Grand butorFrench
- Butor étoiléFrench
- Héron butorFrench
- RaidtrompNorthern Frisian
- ReiddompWestern Frisian
- bonnánScottish Gaelic
- buathainScottish Gaelic
- buathanScottish Gaelic
- BùbaireScottish Gaelic
- Corra ghrainScottish Gaelic
- corra-ghrianScottish Gaelic
- corrachan-grianScottish Gaelic
- Abetouro bruónGalician
- Coar vooarManx
- אנפה מסורטטתHebrew
- אנפה משורטטתHebrew
- אנפה מסורטטת גדולהHebrew
- bukavacCroatian
- Bukavac nebogledCroatian
- bölömbikaHungarian
- Մեծ ՋրցուլArmenian
- Bambangan BintangIndonesian
- Botauro stellateInterlingua
- SefþvariIcelandic
- tarabusoItalian
- サンカノゴイJapanese
- ყარაულაGeorgian
- БгъэкӀэхьKabardian
- Кöл пугазыkjh
- ӘупілдекKazakh
- Үлкен көлбұқаKazakh
- 알락해오라기Korean
- KaglushaikarKarelian
- ClabyttourCornish
- Shivokwn
- MouerochsLuxembourgish
- Grouss DommelLuxembourgish
- NuetsrammLuxembourgish
- RommeldoesLimburgish
- didysis baublysLithuanian
- lielais dumpisLatvian
- вӱдӱшкыжMari
- БукаецMacedonian
- голем воден бикMacedonian
- പെരുങ്കൊച്ചMalayalam
- KappunMaltese
- Усны бухшувууMongolian
- Burung Pucong DanauMalay
- RohrdumpLow German
- ठुलो जुनबकुल्लाNepali
- roerdompDutch
- RietreigerDutch
- røyrdrumNorwegian Nynorsk
- Butornrm
- bąkPolish
- bąk (zwyczajny)Polish
- وڈا بٹرنWestern Panjabi
- abetouro-comumPortuguese
- AbetouroPortuguese
- abetouro-eurasiáticoPortuguese
- Tarbegl grondRomansh
- Buhai de baltăRomanian
- ВыпьRussian
- ГукольницаRussian
- большая выпьRussian
- выпь большаяRussian
- ВыпRusyn
- АҥырYakut
- BluiterScots
- RávraháigirNorthern Sami
- hoaššaháigirNorthern Sami
- සිසිර අයාලයාSinhala
- bučiak veľkýSlovak
- bučiak trsťovýSlovak
- bobnaricaSlovenian
- Khoiti-mohlakaSouthern Sotho
- gakthiAlbanian
- Vodeni bikSerbian
- Водени бикSerbian
- Bukavac - БукавакSerbian
- rördromSwedish
- Vumatiti MkubwaSwahili
- นกยางแดงใหญ่Thai
- balabanTurkish
- Bayağı balabanTurkish
- KgapuTswana
- бургурааTuvinian
- ИньтакаUdmurt
- БугайUkrainian
- бугай водянийUkrainian
- TarabelVenetian
- Vạc rạVietnamese
- 大麻鳽Chinese
- 大麻鷺Chinese
- 大麻鷺〔大麻鳽〕Chinese
- UmabuZulu
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the Eurasian bittern
Other species in the same genus Botaurus.
Little bittern
Botaurus minutus
American bittern
Botaurus lentiginosus
Matuku
Botaurus poiciloptilus
Pinnated bittern
Botaurus pinnatus
Stripe-backed bittern
Botaurus involucris
Cinnamon bittern
Botaurus cinnamomeus
CompareEurasian bittern vs Little bitternEurasian bittern vs American bitternEurasian bittern vs MatukuEurasian bittern vs Pinnated bittern
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the Eurasian bittern?
The Eurasian bittern is a bird in the family Ardeidae, order Pelecaniformes.
How heavy is the Eurasian bittern?
Adults have a representative body mass of 1.3 kg. Reported values range from 1.2 to 2.9 kg.
What does the Eurasian bittern eat?
The Eurasian bittern is an aquatic predator and is classed as a carnivore.
What habitat does the Eurasian bittern use?
The Eurasian bittern lives in wetland habitat and forages on the ground.
Is the Eurasian bittern endangered?
No. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does the Eurasian bittern live?
The Eurasian bittern has a lifespan of 11.3 years, with the highest value reported by our sources at 11.33 years.
How many eggs does the Eurasian bittern lay?
It lays a clutch of 5 eggs, with one clutch per year, and the eggs are incubated for 25.5 days.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Eurasian bittern (Botaurus stellaris). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/eurasian-bittern
“Eurasian bittern (Botaurus stellaris).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/eurasian-bittern.
@misc{eurasian_bittern_2026,
title = {Eurasian bittern (Botaurus stellaris)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/eurasian-bittern},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}