Bittern Project - SciStarter

Our research has revealed that the Australasian Bittern is indeed threatened and through our efforts has been added to the EPBC list as Endangered, while the Australian Little Bittern has less precise habitat requirements and hence not currently threatened. The Australasian Bittern is an endangered waterbird which occurs mainly in Australia and New Zealand. It inhabits tall, dense, emergent, reedy vegetation growing in shallow freshwater wetlands, where foraging, roosting and breeding all take place. They are often difficult to see. When a person walks through a bittern’s wetland, the bird’s initial reaction is to freeze and assume an erect posture — with its neck outstretched and its bill pointing skyward.