Little Bittern

Ixobrychus minutus

Family:

Herons, storks and ibises

Length:

33cm to 38cm

Wingspan:

52cm to 58cm

Weight:

140g to 150g

The Little Bittern is not rare in Mallorca and best seen in the S’Albufera, Tucan Marsh and the S’Albufereta. It is summer visitor breeding in the marshes and is difficult to see as they are motionless most of the time often using the same spot to rest.

Technical description

The Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus) breeds in central and southern Europe whilst over wintering in Africa. Its appearance is that of a small heron about the same size as a Lapwing. Its length is 29cm.

Other birds in the Herons, storks and ibises family

Purple Heron

Spoonbill

Little Egret

Elegant and poised heron with white plumage.

Grey Heron

Despite their large frame, these greyish-white birds are elegant and graceful, often found statuesque beside ponds.

Great White Egret

Cattle Egret

Originating in Africa, the western Mediterranean and sub-tropical Asia, the cattle egret has expanded naturally over the last hundred years to South America in the late 1800’s and North America as recently as the early 1950’s. Australia recorded its first migrants in 1940 whilst New Zealand’s population of egrets was established as late as 1960.

Bittern

One of the rarest breeding birds in the UK, a secretive and difficult to see member of the heron family.