# Eurasian bittern (*Botaurus stellaris*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/eurasian-bittern  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

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. 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.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 1.22 kg – 2.91 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 1.27 m |
| Lifespan | 11.3 years |
| Diet | Aquatic predator |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 11.3 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | wetland |
| Egg incubation | 25.5 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 4.6 – 5 |
| Age at maturity | 18 months – 2 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Migration | Partial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Pelecaniformes
- family: Ardeidae
- genus: Botaurus
- species: *Botaurus stellaris* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Ardea stellaris*

## Common questions

### 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

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), 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](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), 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](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), 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](https://commons.wikimedia.org), 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](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), 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).

Cite as: Eurasian bittern (Botaurus stellaris). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/eurasian-bittern