Listen to the Australasian bittern
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the Australasian bittern
The Australasian bittern is a bird in the family Ardeidae (order Pelecaniformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “vulnerable”. Adults have a wingspan of about 112 cm and weigh around 39 g.
What does the Australasian bittern sound like?
Bird vocalisations are usually divided into songs – longer, often complex phrases used to defend territory and attract mates, sung mostly by males in the breeding season – and calls: short, simple sounds for contact, alarm, begging or flight.
The recordings here are labelled as australasian-bittern. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The Australasian bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus), or Matuku-hūrepo in Māori, is a stocky, sizeable and elusive heron-like bird native to the wetlands of Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia. It belongs to the bittern subfamily of the heron family Ardeidae. The Australasian bittern is best known for its cryptic plumage and behaviours, which allows it to blend into the rushes and reeds of its wetland habitats, making it particularly difficult to spot. Despite being rarely seen, Australasian bittern males have a distinct "booming" call that can carry long distances. This call is said to resemble that of a Bunyip, which is why the Australasian bittern is often known as "the Bunyip Bird" in parts of Australia.
Related birds in the genus Botaurus
More from the family Ardeidae
Grey heron
Ardea cinerea
Great egret
Ardea alba
Black-crowned night heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
Little egret
Egretta garzetta
Purple heron
Ardea purpurea
Little bittern
Botaurus minutus
Striated heron
Butorides striata
Indian pond heron
Ardeola grayii
Agami heron
Agamia agami
Black-headed heron
Ardea melanocephala
Frequently asked questions
What does an Australasian bittern sound like?
You can hear 1 recording of the Australasian bittern on this page, including its australasian-bittern. Bird vocalisations are usually divided into songs – longer, often complex phrases used to defend territory and attract mates, sung mostly by males in the breeding season – and calls: short, simple sounds for contact, alarm, begging or flight.
Is the Australasian bittern endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Australasian bittern as “vulnerable”.
What family does the Australasian bittern belong to?
The Australasian bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus) belongs to the family Ardeidae in the order Pelecaniformes.
Sources & credits
- Australasian-bittern – CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q783076 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Australasian bittern – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Imogen Warren – CC BY-SA 4.0