Photo: Least Bittern, ©Todd Kiraly
Our most recent Monday Nature Mystery was a tough one…we had no winner but a few close guesses!
This week’s mystery was the Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis).
Least Bittern, ©Todd Kiraly
According to All About Birds, the Least Bittern is about half the size of the American Bittern. (So Seth was closest, nice job Seth!) It’s a lighter brown overall and less streaky than the American Bittern. Least Bittern tend to cling to stalks while American Bittern tend to stand in the water. The furtive Least Bittern is often little more than a voice in the reeds that is frustratingly difficult to locate. But these diminutive herons reward patience and will charm birders persistent enough to discover them in their wetland haunts. They’re smartly clad in chestnut, buff, and black, with the male more richly colored than the female. Although drainage and development of wetlands has reduced their populations, Least Bitterns persist over much of their historical range, and are most readily seen during the breeding season.
Each Monday we’ll post a new mystery and identify the previous week’s winner. They’ll receive an ASNV hat or tote bag.
Here is this week’s mystery:
Who is this?
Be sure to post your guess on our Facebook page under the latest Monday Nature Mystery post, and make sure you receive our emails to find out the winner and mystery answer each week. Good Luck!
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Monday Nature Mystery: Who is this? Photo: Seth Honig