Black Bittern

Botaurus flavicollis (Latham, 1790)

Black Bittern, Botaurus flavicollis, breeds across the Oriental Region and Australasia, with a wide range in those areas. It is a heron relative in the Ardeidae family and was first described by Latham in 1790. The bird is a bittern of Old World origin and was once placed in Ixobrychus before being moved to Botaurus. Its breeding range reaches from tropical Asia through Indonesia to Australia, and it is mainly resident, though some birds in the north make short movements.

Order

Pelecaniformes

Family

Ardeidae — Herons, Bitterns

Breeding range

Oriental Region, Australasia: widespread