Little Bittern
Ixobrychus minutus (Linnaeus, 1766)
LL
LITBI
980
Family: Pelecaniformes > Ardeidae
Despite the now annual handful of breeding attempts, the Little Bittern remains a rare visitor to our shores.
This is a very small member of the heron family, about the size of a pigeon. Both sexes have a white wing panel, the male with black upperparts, the female brown. Little Bitterns migrate to Britain & Ireland in spring with most recorded from April. They return to Africa in the autumn.
The Little Bittern is a secretive and crepuscular species, which, together with the preferred reedbed habitat, makes this a very difficult species to observe and survey.
Select a topic for more facts and statistics about the Little Bittern
Identification
Little Bittern identification is often straightforward.
SONGS AND CALLS
Listen to example recordings of the main vocalisations of Little Bittern, provided by xeno-canto contributors.
Song
Develop your bird ID skills with our training courses
Our interactive online courses are a great way to develop your bird identification skills, whether you're new to the hobby or a competent birder looking to hone your abilities.
Browse training coursesStatus and Trends
Population size and trends and patterns of distribution based on BTO surveys and atlases with data collected by BTO volunteers.
CONSERVATION STATUS
This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.
| UK Birds of Conservation Concern | Amber listed |
| Species of European Conservation Concern | Least Concern |
| IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global) |
Least Concern 
|
| Schedule 1 license required (to disturb) | No |
| Birds Directive Annex 1 | No |
POPULATION SIZE
We have no population estimates for this scarce species.
| BOU Category | A |
|
First Record
|
Middlesex, 1782 |
POPULATION CHANGE
The status of the Little Bittern as a breeding species remains uncertain after a sequence of breeding records from 2009 to 2017 in Somerset were followed by a blank year in 2018, but a calling male was again present in 2019 (Eaton et al. 2021). The species is highly secretive and thus difficult to monitor
DISTRIBUTION
In addition to being rare migrants, Little Bitterns have recently bred in Somerset.
More from the Atlas Mapstore.
Occupied 10-km squares in UK
| No. occupied in breeding season | 1 |
| % occupied in breeding season | 0.03 |
European Distribution Map
DISTRIBUTION CHANGE
-
Britain and Ireland Breeding Distribution Change 1968–72 to 2008–11.
More from the Atlas Mapstore. -
Britain and Ireland Winter Distribution Change 1981–84 to 2007–11
More from the Atlas Mapstore.
| % change in range in winter (1981–84 to 2007–11) | --100% |
SEASONALITY
Little Bitterns are rare summer overshoot migrants and occasional breeders.
Movement
Information about movement and migration based on online bird portals (e.g. BirdTrack), Ringing schemes and tracking studies.
RINGING RECOVERIES
View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report.
Biology
Lifecycle and body size information about Little Bittern, including statistics on nesting, eggs and lifespan based on BTO ringing and nest recording data.
PRODUCTIVITY & NESTING
Sample sizes are too small to report Productivity and Nesting statistics for this species.
BIOMETRICS
Sample sizes are too small to report Biometrics for this species.
Feather measurements and photos on featherbase
CODES & CLASSIFICATION
|
Field Codes
|
2-letter: LL | 5-letter code: LITBI | Euring: 980 |
For information in another language (where available) click on a linked name
Research
Interpretation and scientific publications about Little Bittern from BTO scientists.
CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS
Causes of change
This species may be in the early stages of colonising the UK. The drivers of change are unclear and specualtive but climate change may have prompted range expansion and the creation of reedbed habitat within the UK for other species has ensured that suitable habitat is available.
Links to more studies from ConservationEvidence.com
- Conditioned aversion as a tool to protect eggs from avian predators in heron colonies
- The use of distress calls to repel night herons (Nycticorax nycticorax) from fish ponds
- The effects of culling on attacks by yellow-legged gulls (Larus cachinnans) upon three species of herons
Read more studies about Little Bittern on Conservation Evidence >
Would you like to search for another species?
Share this page