OTHER NAMES: Little Bittern
Latin Etymology: Ixobrychus ("reed like plant") minutus ("little")
Featured Subspecies: Ixobrychus minutus minutus
Weight: 59-150g / Length: 25-36cm / Wingspan: 40-58cm
The Common Little Bittern is easily the smallest member of the Heron Family found in Europe - my first glimpse of this species flying away from me up a river and my first thought was some species of crake until I saw it's face. They are a secretive species, yet seemingly not so much as the great Bittern, and their smaller size allows them to be present in smaller reed-beds than it's relative could hide in. At El Pardo I saw my first individual which was fairly showy in that it stayed in the open for an extended amount of time once it had landed - I saw far more at Arrocampo reserve near Monfrague National Park, but these individuals were really only seen in transit from one reed-bed to the next.
Related Species:
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Ardeidae
Genus: Ixobrychus
Subspecies: I. m. minutus, I. m. payesii, I. m. podiceps
- Sighting Locations -
- MADRID 2016 TRIP: Seen in small numbers at El Pardo (one or two birds seen) and Arrocampo (at least 2 individuals)
Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto
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