Bittern

Bitterns
	American bittern
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Pelecaniformes
Family:	Ardeidae
Subfamily:	Botaurinae; Reichenbach, 1850
Genera
	Ixobrychus Billberg, 1828; Botaurus Stephens, 1819; Zebrilus Bonaparte, 1855;

Bitterns are birds belonging to the subfamily Botaurinae of the heron family

Old French butor, itself from Gallo-Roman butitaurus, a compound of Latin būtiō (buzzard) and taurus (bull).^[1]

Bitterns usually frequent reed beds and similar marshy areas and feed on amphibians, reptiles, insects, and fish.

Bitterns, like herons, egrets, and pelicans, fly with their necks retracted, unlike the cranes, storks, ibises and spoonbills, which fly with necks extended and outstretched.

Species

There are currently 14 species divided into three genera within Botaurinae:

Image	Genus	Living species
	Ixobrychus Billberg, 1828	Little bittern (Ixobrychus minutus) Australian little bittern (Ixobrychus dubius) † New Zealand little bittern (Ixobrychus novaezelandiae) Cinnamon bittern (Ixobrychus cinnamomeus) Stripe-backed bittern (Ixobrychus involucris) Least bittern (Ixobrychus exilis) Yellow bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis) Schrenck's bittern (Ixobrychus eurhythmus) Dwarf bittern (Ixobrychus sturmii) Black bittern (Ixobrychus flavicollis)
	Botaurus Stephens, 1819	American bittern (Botaurus lentiginosa) Eurasian bittern or great bittern (Botaurus stellaris) South American bittern (Botaurus pinnatus) Australasian bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus) †Botaurus hibbardi (fossil)
	Zebrilus Bonaparte, 1855	Zigzag heron or zigzag bittern (Zebrilus undulatus)

Notes

^ Joseph P. Pickett; et al., eds. (2000). "Bittern". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (4th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Archived from the original on 2005-01-16. Retrieved 2006-07-04.

[1] Joseph P. Pickett; et al., eds. (2000). "Bittern". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (4th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Archived from the original on 2005-01-16. Retrieved 2006-07-04.

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