bittern
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈbɪtərn/
:
garza
- Some are seldom-seen species like the azure bluebird, green kingfisher, and American bittern.
- the American bittern
- the least bittern
- the sun bittern
Examples
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My colleagues and I have found encouraging numbers of endangered bird species, including the Eurasian bittern, the Iraq babbler, the pygmy cormorant, the sacred ibis, and the whiskered tern.
Academic text (2007) -
And the cormorant and the bittern shall possess the land.
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Bitterns were quite distinctive in flight.
Fiction book (1990) -
Little bitterns were common in the delta, but the elusive, well-camouflaged marsh birds were heard more often than seen.
Fiction book (1990) -
Herons, egrets, and bitterns, all members of the heron family, live here. Bitterns are very shy birds and are more difficult to find.
Academic text (2006) -
May is a good time to see migrating shorebirds on their way farther north; glossy ibis, great egrets, and American bitterns summer here, and a few may stay year-round.
Academic text (2010) -
Did you ever hear the booming call of a bittern in the marsh at night?
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A solitary bittern stood still among the reeds, its brown feathers blending perfectly with the environment.
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In wetlands, the bittern is known for its distinctive, deep booming sound that echoes through the night.
Synonyms
A marsh bird like a heron with camouflaged feathers and a deep booming call
A short heavy bird that stands in shallow water with brown streaked feathers in North America
A brown wading bird like a small heron that lives in reeds and makes a loud booming call
A large brown bird that wades in marshes in Europe and makes a deep booming call
A large shy marsh bird found in Europe and Asia that makes a deep booming call
A very small heron that hides in reeds in marshes
Compounds
- Specialized
A short heavy bird that stands in shallow water with brown streaked feathers in North America
A large brown bird that wades in marshes in Europe and makes a deep booming call
Surface Forms
Etymology
The word bittern comes from Old French butor and Latin butio, words likely made to 'copy' the bird's deep, booming call. That's why the name fits this marsh bird, which is more often heard than seen.