Herons (Ardeidae)
Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus) - HBW 1, p. 425
French: Blongios nain
German: Zwergdommel
Spanish: Avetorillo Común
Other common names: Australian/New Zealand Little Bittern
Taxonomy: Ardea minuta Linnaeus, 1766, Switzerland.
Forms superspecies with I. exilis and I. sinensis. Race novaezelandiae often considered separate species, but very little known and now probably extinct (cause unknown); payesii and podiceps have been treated as two further species. Five subspecies normally recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- minutus (Linnaeus, 1766) - C & S Europe and N Africa E to W Siberia and through Iran to NE India; winters Africa to India.
- payesii (Hartlaub, 1858) - Africa S of Sahara.
- podiceps (Bonaparte, 1855) - Madagascar.
- minutus (Linnaeus, 1766) - C & S Europe and N Africa E to W Siberia and through Iran to NE India; winters Africa to India.
- payesii (Hartlaub, 1858) - Africa S of Sahara.
- podiceps (Bonaparte, 1855) - Madagascar.
- novaezelandiae (Potts, 1871) - South I, New Zealand (probably extinct).
- dubius Mathews, 1912 - SW & E Australia; S New Guinea.
- Least Concern Enlarge map
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A male on a twig, ejecting a pellet and then calling Locality Essonne, Île-de-France, France (ssp minutus)
Julien Rochefort 30 June 2006 6 years ago 47 sec 4.8 -
The chicks on the nest. Locality La Tancada, Ebro Delta, Tarragona Province, Catalonia, Spain (ssp minutus)
Pedro Rubio 1994 10 years ago 27 sec 4.6 -
Female foraging. Locality Jerrabomberra Wetlands, Australian Capital Territory, Australia (ssp dubius)
Stephen Wallace 22 November 2012 24 weeks ago 1 min 33 sec 4.6 -
A male on a twig, preening and flying away Locality Essonne, Île-de-France, France (ssp minutus)
Julien Rochefort 30 June 2006 6 years ago 18 sec 4.6 -
An adult and chicks on the nest. Locality La Tancada, Ebro Delta, Tarragona Province, Catalonia, Spain (ssp minutus)
Pedro Rubio 1994 10 years ago 12 sec 4.6 -
Adolescent hunts and swallows a fish at Kanyavari Bridge. Partially slow motion. Locality Kanyavari Island, Lake Balaton, Hungary (ssp minutus)
Stefan_Thiel 14 September 2011 1 year ago 55 sec 4.6
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One glorious summer morning this beautiful bird came up out of the reedbed to show itself for a brief moment in the morning sun.
Locality Zevenhuizerplas, South Holland Province, Netherlands (ssp minutus)
Gerard Visser 23 July 2012 9 weeks ago 4.7 -
female and male with chicks in the nest.
Locality Poland
Hubert Gajda 14 June 2012 15 weeks ago 4.6 -
Hidden in the reeds
Locality Abu Nakhla Ponds, Doha, Qatar (ssp minutus)
John A Thompson 26 June 2009 2 years ago 4.5 -
A male Little Bittern creeping between patches of tall grass beside the local lake
Locality Jerrabomberra, New South Wales, Australia (ssp dubius)
Lindsay Hansch 5 October 2012 27 weeks ago 4.4 -
hunting young ixobrychus minutus with a small fish
Locality Poland
Hubert Gajda 25 June 2011 16 weeks ago 4.3 -
Male seen among dried reeds.
Locality Lesbos Island, North Aegean Region, Greece
David Lingard 30 May 2010 16 weeks ago 4.3
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For more than 20 years no records. In May/june 2009 three males calling. Locality Rieselfelder Münster, Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
(ssp minutus)
Jan Ole Kriegs _ LWL-Stat... 9 June 2009 3 years ago 3
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