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Australasian Bittern
(Botaurus poiciloptilus)
: "Brown Bittern", "Australian Bittern", "Black-backed Bittern",
"Boomer", "Bull-bird", "matuku hurepo" (NZ)
Aboriginal name(s): "kawoR" [tjapwurrung]; "boordenitj" (WA); "boonboon"
Size: 66-76 cm; wing span 1.0-1.2 m
Weight: 0.6-2.0 kg
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Similar species |
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Physical description |
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Click here for a physical description
Australasian Bitterns are the largest bitterns found in Australia.
Their plumage is
highly cryptic.
The front is creamy, with heavy streaking from the chest down.
The back is darker than the front, brownish, with copious
darker grey-brown streaking, in particular on the upperwing
coverts. The crown is also dark grey-brown. The ear coverts
are rufous-brown, while the rest of the long, strong neck is
darker brown, partly streaked.
The facial skin in front of the eyes is bluish-grey. The strong,
straight horn-grey bill is pointed, with a slightly darker upper
mandible than the lower one. The irises are yellow; legs and feet
are grey to greyish-green.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Australasian
Bittern at Wikipedia .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
.
The global distribution of the Australasian Bittern is available
HERE
.
Australasian Bitterns populate parts of southern Australia,
Tasmania, New Zealand, New Caledonia and Ouvea.
In Australia, Australasian Bitterns are found mostly in the South-east,
but also in the far South-west of the continent, plus Tasmania, the
smaller islands along Bass Straight and on Kangaroo Island.
In the South-east of the continent their range extends from the
far south-eastern corner of SA, via all of VIC into NSW, i.e. the
Murray-Darling Basin inland and a near-coastal strip, up to far
south-eastern QLD. Within that range, they are only rarely found in
the Great Dividing Range.
In the South-west of the continent they populate a narrow coastal
strip from Perth, WA, to Cape Arid on the South coast of WA.
Australasian Bitterns live around well-vegetated wetlands, such
as swamps,
estuaries and along
streams.
They can also be found in irrigated crops, in particular rice fields.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
M. Herring reports the presence of several Australasian Bitterns
in irrigated rice paddies around Coleambally, NSW, over several
years, including the 2016/17 breeding season.
All sighting and photographic information presented on this page
has kindly been contributed by M. Herring (Bitterns in Rice Project).
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Photos |
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ADULT |
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Lateral view of an Australasian Bittern in an irrigated rice field
(photo courtesy of M. Herring, Bitterns in Rice Project)
[25 km South-west of Coleambally, NSW, January 2017]
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Breeding information |
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Breeding season: Sep - Jan |
Eggs: 4 - 5 |
Incubation period: ca. 30? days |
Fledging age: ca. 63? days |
Male Australasian Bitterns tend to have several females, with their
nests, in their territory.
Nest building: Female? |
Incubation: Female |
Dependent care: Female? |
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"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna",
"jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal] |
Type: Basket |
Material: Sticks, reed stalks |
Height above ground: N/A |
Australasian Bittern nest in an irrigated rice field with four eggs in it
(photo courtesy of M. Herring, Bitterns in Rice Project)
[20 km South of Coleambally, NSW, January 2017]
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Eggs |
"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk",
"ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg;
"dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay] |
Size: 52 x 38 mm |
Colour: Pale
olive-green to olive-brown |
Shape: Tapered oval |
See photo above.
Social behaviour: Territorial |
Mobility: Sedentary |
Elementary unit: Solitary/male
with females |
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors.
The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.