Bittern

Botaurus stellaris
AKA: Great bittern
A thickset heron with all-over bright, pale, buffy-brown plumage covered with dark streaks and
bars. It flies on broad, rounded, bowed wings. A secretive bird, very difficult to see, as it moves
silently through reeds at water's edge, looking for fish. The males make a remarkable far-carrying,
booming sound in spring. Its dependence on reedbeds and very small population make it a Red List
species - one of the most threatened in the UK.
Where does it live?
Breeding
Marshland with large reedbeds and areas of open water.
Wintering
Freshwater marshes with reedbeds and other thick vegetation; also gravel pits, ditches and rivers.
Where to see it
Wetlands with large reedbeds, especially RSPB reserves at Minsmere, Suffolk and Leighton Moss,
Lancashire. In winter it can also be watched at viewing sites in the Lea Valley, Hertfordshire.
What does it eat?
Fish, amphibians and insects.
What does it sound like?
A far-carrying booming call, like a distant foghorn
When to see it
All year round. Most visible in winter at certain sites.

Reserves
Leighton Moss
The largest remaining reedbed in north-west England, with shallow meres and fringing sedge and
woodland, attracts a wonderful range of wildlife to Leighton Moss. Among its special birds are
breeding bitterns, bearded tits and marsh harriers, with water rails and pochards, and its mammals
include roe and red deer.
You can take your pick of long or short nature trails - shorter ones are suitable for wheelchairs and
pushchairs.
Of the five birdwatching hides, four have wheelchair access. Children, as well as adults, will enjoy
finding out more about the reserve from the imaginative displays in the visitor centre.
Minsmere
Set on the beautiful Suffolk coast, Minsmere offers both families and birdwatchers an enjoyable day
out. Nature trails take you through a variety of habitats to the excellent birdwatching hides. In the
summer you can watch avocets and marsh harriers or hear booming bitterns. On the beach, a
special area is cordoned off to protect nesting little terns.
In the autumn and winter many wading birds and waterfowl visit the reserve. You can find out more
about the reserve and its wildlife, browse in the shop or enjoy a meal in the licensed tearoom at the
visitor centre, which features Going Solar photovoltaic cells. There is a programme of events
throughout the year, including special events for children and those new to birdwatching.
No dogs allowed on the nature trails, except guide dogs. Limited shaded parking available - ask at
reception.
North Warren
This delightful reserve on the Suffolk coast consists of grazing marshes, reedbeds, heathland and
woodland. Thousands of wildfowl use the marshes in winter, while summer brings breeding
bitterns, marsh harriers, nightjars, woodlarks and nightingales. Look out for the many species of
butterflies and dragonflies.
Conservation action
Due to the rarity of the bittern, accurate monitoring of the population size and breeding success is
particularly important. The counts are based on numbers of booming males, which are individually
identified by sound recording, since their voice patterns are unique.
The importance of reedbeds for bitterns and a range of other species such as Cettis warbler, Savis
warbler, marsh harrier and bearded tit has been recognised for many years, and as a result, the
RSPB and other conservation organisations give high priority to acquisition of reedbed reserves. In
addition to managing existing reedbeds for bitterns, the RSPB is actively working to restore
reedbeds and create new ones. Reedbed improvement and restoration work is carried out on a
wider scale in conjunction with several other organisations and private individuals.
Reedbed management and restoration involves several practices, including the following. Raising of
water levels and keeping them high all year round. Cutting or mowing of reeds, and in places winter
burning to reduce the accumulation of litter. Lowering the reedbed to allow more effective flooding.
Improvements in water level control and water flow. Installation of water control structures to
create optimum conditions within the reedbed. Reprofiling and clearing of existing dykes and ditches
and creation of new ditches and other open water areas within the reeds to increase feeding
opportunities for the birds. Creation of links between different reedbeds and open water areas to
enable fish movement between the areas. Introduction of fish to reedbeds to improve feeding
opportunities. Coppicing and removal of encroaching shrubs and trees. Planting of reeds to extend
reedbed area.
Due to the low population size, the increased mortality during harsh winter weather can bring about
significant population decline and even local extinctions. Creation of ice-free areas and
supplementary feeding during severe winter weather could reduce winter mortality substantially.
Did you know
The boom of the male bittern is the lowest-pitched and the most far-carrying song produced by any
European bird. It can be heard up to three miles (5km) away in the right weather conditions.
It used to be thought that the booming was produced by the bittern thrusting its bill into the marsh
and calling or even blowing down a reed stem. Other old wives tales state that the bittern only
booms in odd numbers, and that it is said to be bad luck to hear the bittern. In the Bible, a bittern's
boom pronounced the doom of Babylon. In Suffolk, ships' foghorns are called sea bitterns.
Many of the colloquial names for the bittern describe its call; bog blutter, bog drum, boom bird,
bottle bump, bull of the bog, butter bump.
When alarmed, bitterns will adopt the well-known 'bittern stance' with neck and body fully stretched
vertically, bill pointed skywards, and eyes swivelled forwards watching any intruder. They can stay
thus, barely visible, for hours, swaying to match the movement of the reeds.
Neolithic bitterns are preserved in the peat of many areas of England and Wales indicating the past
wide distribution of the species. In the early 19th century they were still common in the fens and
broads of eastern England with shooting parties killing twenty or thirty in a morning. Roast bittern
was regularly on the menu for fenland families, giving it the nickname 'fenman's turkey'.
In very hard winters bitterns seek out open water. Manmade features (such as roads) seem
frequently to be mistaken for water and perhaps account for the records of weakened birds in very
strange places - a bus stop at Stoke Newington in London, the central reservation of a motorway at
Durham, and a shop window at Gravesend in Kent!

Legal status
The bittern is listed on Schedule 1 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, which
affords special protection at all times. It is an offence to take, injure or kill a
bittern or to take, damage or destroy its nest, eggs or young. It is also an offence to
intentionally or wrecklessly disturb the birds at or close to their nest during the
breeding season. Violation of the law can attract fines up to £5,000 per offence
and/or a prison sentence of up to 6 months.

Nesting
Male bitterns begin to boom as early as late January to establish territories and
attract mates. Some males are polygamous, and occasionally several nests, each
built by a different female, are found within the territory of one calling male. There is
no pair-bond as such, and the male normally takes no part in nest building or raising
the young.
The nest is a shallow platform of reed stems within the reedbed close to the water-
level. If the water level rises during the nesting period, the female will add material
to the nest to keep it above the water level.
A clutch of 5-6 olive-brown eggs are laid at 2-3 day intervals. Clutches can be
started between end of March and mid-July. Incubation starts with the first egg,
lasting for 25-26 days and hatching is stretched out over a period of several days.
The young are cared for by the female, who feeds the young directly with
regurgitated food.
By 8 days of age the young are able to adopt the typical bittern stance when
alarmed, and when 15-16 days old they will leave the nest at times, clambering
about the surrounding vegetation. The young fledge at 50-55 days of age, and
become independent soon afterwards. Females are able to breed successfully in their
first year. Little is known about chick diet, chick survival or fledging success, though
new research by the RSPB is starting to shed light onto these aspects.
Bitterns normally have one brood a year. It is suspected that a replacement clutch is
laid if the first one is lost, though there is no firm evidence on this. In 1998 RSPB
research discovered that bitterns are capable of double brooding with the discovery
that one female raised two successful broods. However, it is not known how
exceptional this record is.

Population trends
The bittern was common in west and central Europe up until the 19th century, when
many breeding areas were abandoned due to drainage and persecution. There were
further considerable declines in both population size and range during the early
1900s throughout Europe. The trend has continued, and there have been significant
declines over much of its range between 1970 and 1990, even in many of its
strongholds in eastern Europe. Many countries with good census data report
continuing declines.
In the UK, widespread declines caused by drainage and particularly persecution, led
to the extinction of the bittern around 1885, having already disappeared from
Northern Ireland by 1840. The species returned to Norfolk in 1900, and was proved
to breed in 1911. Since then the breeding population slowly built up, though never
reaching Scotland or Ireland. Having reached a peak of about 80 booming males in
the 1950s, the species started to decline again shortly after, beginning in the Norfolk
Broads, and despite a slow recovery during the 1990s, reached a low point of 11
booming males in 1997. Since then, the numbers have steadily increased. This
reduction in numbers was accompanied by a contraction in the range of the species,
and during the 1970s and 80s it ceased to breed in several counties. Today, only a
handful of birds survive, mainly in Norfolk, Suffolk and Lancashire.
The root cause of the sustained decline was loss and impoverishment of the reed
habitat. This was exacerbated by high mortality during cold winters. Traditional
management of reedbeds for cut reed maintained the reedbeds in good condition for
bitterns. As the need for reed declined, many reedbeds were lost as they dried out
through neglect or were drained for other agricultural uses. In the continental Europe
extensive reed cutting severely reduces the area of reedbed suitable for bitterns.
E.g. 90% of Dutch reedbeds are harvested every year, removing the winter cover
essential for bitterns.

Threats
The main threat to the species is the reduction in availability and quality of
Phragmites-dominated swamps and other marshes due to drainage and
abandonment of traditional uses for reedbeds. In the past, continued drainage of
land for agricultural uses and excessive water abstraction in the catchment of
reedbeds reduced the area of reedbeds in the UK, while the main current threat to
the habitat comes from neglect and lack of management, which allows reedbeds to
dry out and become unsuitable for bitterns. Excessive water abstraction is still a
potential hazard to existing reedbeds through reduction in the summer water levels
within the reeds, and hampers efforts to establish reedbeds in areas where they
have been lost in the past. Reedbeds represent an early successional stage from
open water to woodland, and without careful management and control of water
levels they will naturally dry out as leaf litter and silt accumulate within the reed,
eventually allowing the establishment of shrubs and trees. Currently, 85% of the
British population is within reserves where better habitat is created for bitterns by
re-creating the early successional stages of reedbed, and carrying out other specific
habitat management.
Water pollution, especially eutrophication, has reduced reedbed viability and food
availability within them. This can result in reed dieback, development of anoxic
sediments and algal blooms, all of which can adversely affect feeding opportunities
and food availability. Salt water intrusion caused by sea level rise and breakdown of
sea defences can be very damaging because of the resultant tidal fluctuations in
water levels and reduced food availability.
In recent decades bitterns have been exposed to several potentially damaging
pollutants such as organochlorine pesticides, PCBs and mercury, and the birds
accumulated some of these at high levels into their bodies. This threat has now
declined, and is no longer considered to affect the population.
Hard winter weather can increase mortality and hence seriously deplete the bittern
population. This is particularly noticeable if freezing weather continues for a month
or more. Declines of up to 40% have been observed. The icy weather at the
beginning of 1997 probably contributed to the halving of the number of booming
bitterns from 22 to 11.
The extremely small and fluctuating population size of the bittern in the UK puts it
under a high risk of chance extinction.

Bittern BAP report

The Government agreed a Biodiversity Action Plan for this species in 1995. The
targets for this plan will be revised in 2005 but currently are:
• Arrest the decline of the bittern, maintaining at least 20 booming birds
• Start to increase the population before the year 2000
• Arrest the decline of the bittern, maintaining its present range
• Start to increase the range before the year 2000
• Increase the population to about 50 booming males by 2010
• Have booming male bitterns on 22 sites by 2010
• Achieve a population of not less than 100 booming males by 2020.
The RSPB is actively contributing to these targets through work on its own nature
reserves, by carrying out research and through advice to other site managers. Work
on bitterns is closely linked to work to rehabilitate and re-create reedbed habitats.
What is the RSPB doing to help?
In 2003 the RSPB carried out a wide range of work to help the bittern, including the
following:
• Major reedbed creation work at Needingworth, Cambridgeshire. This scheme,
a partnership between the RSPB, Hanson plc and Cambridgeshire County
Council, involves the careful restoration of a major sand and gravel quarry to
deliver around 500ha of reedbed over the next 30 years.
• The EU LIFE project continues to provide funding for bittern and reedbed
conservation work in the UK, including reedbed creation, rehabilitation and
enhancement. Work is underway at 19 sites across England, including 15
RSPB reserves, to develop a strategic network of reedbeds for bitterns to
enlarge their range and population size. This project aims to provide suitable
habitat for 35 booming bitterns (24 on RSPB reserves).
• A total of 190 ha of reedbed have been created on RSPB reserves by 2003. A
further 160 ha of reedbed are partially established, with either reed seedlings
planted or reed gradually out-competing other species.
• Monitoring of breeding males and nesting females continues to be
undertaken.
 • Studying the availability of reedbed fish populations and the health of newly
created reedbeds.
• Continuing to provide international advice and practical help.
Summary of progress
Good progress has been made against the UK BAP objectives for bittern.
The decline in population and range was stemmed by 2000 and there are
encouraging signs of population increase.
The population in 2003 increased for the sixth year in a row to 43 booming males at
a total of 24 sites (from 19 males at 10 sites in 1995 when the plan was
published). The first booming bittern on a newly created reedbed was recorded in
2003.
The 2010 target could be met if the rate of reedbed rehabilitation and creation is
maintained.
RSPB reserves held 14 booming males (33% of the UK population).

Has our work been effective?

The RSPB programme of bittern work has had a major effect on progress towards the
BAP targets.
RSPB nature reserves have been at the forefront of bittern conservation. In 2003,
the number of booming bitterns on RSPB land was increased to 14.
Reedbed rehabilitation and management has led to an increase in the number of
booming male bitterns at Minsmere (8 in 2003 with 10 nesting females). The area of
reedbed now under RSPB management has increased to over 1,100 ha (20% of the
UK resource).
A further 160 ha of reedbed are in the process of being created on RSPB reserves
with an additional 753 ha of this habitat being planned.
The RSPB leads the Bittern EU LIFE Project and co-ordinates the sharing of
information between sites.
RSPB research and monitoring work has provided a sound foundation for
encouraging appropriate management of existing reedbeds and the creation of new
bittern habitat.

What do we plan to do next?

The RSPB is committed to further work in 2004 to assist the bittern's recovery. This
includes:
• continuing development on reserves of wet reedbed for bitterns, and
maximising food availability by improving fish access into each site by
installing eel passes etc
• continuing to improve the use of grazing marsh ditch systems as feeding
areas
• continuing to monitor the establishment and maturation of new reedbeds on
RSPB reserves, the development of eel and fish populations and water quality
• continuing to monitor bitterns as a measure of success of management work
• continuing bittern research with additional focus on 'fish/hydrological'
research and monitoring, particularly on newly created/rehabilitated sites
• undertaking major rehabilitation work at Leighton Moss to improve the
sustainability of the bittern population at this isolated site
• increasing the area of reedbed managed by extensive grazing, eg Konik
ponies experiment at Minsmere.
What are the constraints to fully achieving the targets?
Some issues affecting bitterns are beyond the RSPB's control or are factors that we
can only influence indirectly.
The two most significant blocks to achieving the Biodiversity Action Plan targets in
our view are:
• securing sufficient funding for and finding suitable sites for reedbed creation
work
• obtaining a sufficient understanding of the factors determining the prey base
for bitterns in reedbed sites.
It is important to note that reedbed creation takes time and it can take time for the
bittern population to respond to the provision of new habitat.
Only one of the reedbeds created since the production of the action plan had a
booming bittern confirmed by 2003, but their creation is a long-term investment for
a healthy future for this rare bird and other reedbed biodiversity.

Acknowledgements
The RSPB has worked closely with a number of individuals and organisations during
2003 to further the conservation of the bittern.
We would like to acknowledge the contribution of EU LIFE, English Nature, Heritage
Lottery Fund, Countryside Council for Wales, Environment Agency, Hansons, Tarmac,
Cherwell District Council, WREN, DEFRA, Anglian Water, Lancashire Waste Services,
Wyvern Waste, Somerset County Council, Wessex Water, Cambridge Water
Company, the Co-operative Bank and Brett Aggregates to work on this species.
Our partners in the current EU LIFE project are:
Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, Lancashire
Wildlife Trust, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Rye Harbour Nature
 Species Action Plan

Current status
The bittern is a declining, localised and rare breeding species. It is confined almost
entirely to lowland marshes in Norfolk, Suffolk and Lancashire dominated by the
common reed Phragmites australis, where it feeds principally on fish and amphibians.
The UK population had declined to fifteen or sixteen booming males in 1994 from a peak
of 70 pairs in the late 1960s, when it bred in eight counties. Numbers are boosted in
winter by continental immigrants (usually less than 100).
The bittern is listed on Annex 1 of the EC Birds Directive and Appendix III of the Bern
Convention. It is protected in the UK under Schedule 1 of the WCA 1981 and Schedule 1
of the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985.
Current factors causing loss or decline
Loss of suitable large reedbeds through seral succession, inappropriate management
(particularly drainage and water abstraction) and fragmentation.
Degradation of habitat through water pollution, pesticide and heavy metal pollution.
Food availability, especially of eels, affected by inappropriate habitat management and
pollution.
Salt water intrusion into coastal reedbeds.
Problems due to small population size.
Current action
A high proportion of remaining bittern sites are protected as nature reserves.
Detailed studies on bittern ecology have been carried out by the RSPB, leading to a
greater understanding of habitat requirements.
Management work has been carried out by statutory agencies and NGOs to restore and
re-create suitable reedbed habitat for bitterns.
English Nature launched its Bittern Recovery Project, with funding available to
landowners and NGOs for reedbed management and restoration.
Improved monitoring of populations has been achieved through voice pattern analysis.
Action plan objectives and targets
Arrest the decline of the bittern, maintaining at least 20 booming birds.
Start to increase the population before the year 2000.
Arrest the decline of the bittern, maintaining its present range.
Start to increase the range before the year 2000.
Increase the population to 50 booming males by 2010.
Achieve a population of not less than 100 booming males by 2020.
Increase the number of sites containing booming males to 22 by 2010.
Proposed actions with lead agencies

Policy and legislation

Implement initiatives for the creation and management of large scale reedbeds on
agricultural land. (ACTION: EN)
Implement water abstraction policies which give priority to nature conservation sites.
(ACTION: NRA, IDBs)
Protect freshwater sites of high conservation importance from seawater incursion.
(ACTION: NRA)
Promote, in development plans, appropriate conditions of after-use for sand and gravel
extraction sites which would favour reedbed development. (ACTION: LAs, DoE)
Consider developing environmental land management schemes to include prescriptions
and incentives for reedbed restoration and management. (ACTION: CC, CCW, EN,
MAFF)
Promote the development and enhancement of suitable bittern habitats in relevant
catchment management plans and water level management plans. (ACTION: NRA,
IDBs)

Site safeguard and management

Protect any sites which are important for bitterns, having regard to the significance of
formal and informal site designations when considering any proposed developments.
(ACTION: LAs, DoE, EN, NRA)
Facilitate reedbed restoration through collaborative projects and appropriate wetland
strategies, to maintain wet conditions and prevent scrub encroachment in existing
reedbeds. (ACTION: CCW, EN, NRA)
Seek to ensure appropriate management for this species, of reedbeds currently within
designated areas. (ACTION: CCW, EN)
Promote the creation of new reedbeds on suitable sites such as surplus agricultural land,
mineral extraction sites, etc. (ACTION: DoE, LAs)

Species management and protection

Consider supplementary feeding in severe winters. (ACTION: CCW, EN)

Determine current food supply on key sites and manage accordingly. (ACTION: CCW,
EN)

Advisory

Advise reedbed owners and managers of bittern requirements in order to promote

appropriate management for this species. (ACTION: EN)

Future Research and Monitoring

Monitor the UK population annually. (ACTION: EN)

Monitor reedbed habitats and food availability at key bittern sites, in conjunction with
NGOs. (ACTION: CCW, EN)
Ensure that any bittern corpses or addled eggs are analysed for heavy metals and
pesticides. (ACTION: CCW, EN)
In conjunction with NGOs, produce assessments of the suitability and management of
key reedbeds for bitterns, to identify the main features of each site and the principal
actions required to improve or maintain them. (ACTION: CCW, EN)
Promote further research into habitat use, suitability and the requirements of this species
in the UK. (ACTION: CCW, EN)
Pass information gathered during survey and monitoring of this species to JNCC or BRC
so that it can be incorporated in national databases. (ACTION: CCW, EN)
Provide information annually to Birdlife International on the UK status of the species to
contribute to maintenance of an up-to-date global red list. (ACTION: JNCC)

Communications and Publicity

Use this species to promote the importance of reedbeds and their conservation.
(ACTION: CCW, EN)
Publication details
Originally published in: Biodiversity: The UK Steering Group Report - Volume II:
Action Plans (December 1995, Tranche 1, Vol 2, p98)

Bittern Facts
Bittern numbers are estimated from the number of male bitterns that boom in the breeding season. They do
this to attract the females and establish their territory – each male has a unique voice.
Bitterns used to be hunted for food. In Norfolk, they were called butterbump because they have so much fat
on them.
Bitterns look like a small, brown heron with a shorter neck; they are about 70–80 cm tall.
The average booming territory of UK bitterns is about 20 hectares (about 24 football pitches) of wet
reedbed and open water.
Bittern nests are a platform of reed stems among standing reeds.
When alarmed, bitterns imitate the reeds by sticking their head up straight and swaying in the wind.
Their favourite food is eels.
Bitterns can swim.
Neolithic bitterns are preserved in the peat of many areas of eastern England and Wales indicating the past
wide distribution of the species.
In very hard winters bitterns seek out open water. Manmade features (such as roads) seem frequently to be
mistaken for water and perhaps account for the records of weakened birds in very strange places - a bus
stop at Stoke Newington in London, the central reservation of a motorway at Durham, and a shop window
at Gravesend in Kent!
The boom of the male bittern is the lowest-pitched and the most far-carrying song produced by any
European bird. It can be heard up to 5 km away in the right weather conditions.
It used to be thought that the booming was produced by the bittern thrusting its bill into the marsh and
calling or even blowing down a reed stem.
Other old wive’s tales state that the bittern only booms in odd numbers, and that it is sid to be bad luck to
hear the bittern.
In the Bible, a bittern’s boom pronounced the doom of Babylon.
In Suffolk ship’s foghorns are called sea bitterns.