American Bittern?

[Deka]

Sorry for the poor images. Some days I'm on and some days I'm not.

In flight.

On shore.
Hubby and I researched and think we have it ID'd correctly but we're not sure.

Thank you for your help to ID this bird.

Deka

 

[Bill Anderson]

It looks like a green heron to me, which is a great find as well.

Compare your photos with these I took at the Edmonds marsh in August, 2013:

 

[photographmemories]

I'm sure on the fence with this one. I almost want to say American Bittern with Deka's photos. Bill perhaps has multiple Juvenile Green Herons in his series, one possible adult. Or are they all of the same Heron???

Juvenile Green Herons and American Bitterns look nearly the same, the big difference being, the Green Heron can get get a wingspan to about 26" while the larger American Bittern wingspan can reach around 42"

I wonder if you can share a couple more photos, Deka?



Chad

 

[squirl033]

definitely a green heron - a bittern is much more tan-and-cream colored. here's what the bittern looks like...

for comparison, here's a juvenile/sub-adult green heron...

 

[photographmemories]

Yes^^



Chad

 

[Bill Anderson]

My Edmonds marsh photos above are all of the same bird. Here are some shots of a green heron I took at Scriber Creek Park in Lynnwood in August, 2012.











Green herons are relatively small birds. According to Sibley's, the green heron has a body length of 18" while the American bittern has a body length of 28".

 

[Deka]

My initial reaction was Green Heron but hubby wasn't sure.
Got home, uploaded the shots and pulled out all of our bird books and still couldn't really ID it.

Below is a 2nd BIF image. (I really have to practice BIF shots more!)


This image gives you a known bird for size comparison. What threw me off is one book said greenish legs. Maybe I'm just seeing reflections from the pond. LOL
The bird did not like the crow getting so close and fluffed up it's head and neck feathers some.


By body length, does that include the neck and/or the tail feathers? Or just from the base of the neck to the end of the tail feathers?
The bill is not as dark as some of the images that have been posted above so I'll assume that it darkens over time.

Thank you all for your help. It is very much appreciated.

Deka

 

[Bill Anderson]

Here is a link to a zillion photos of American bitterns for reference. My reason for identifying your first two photos as a green heron was based on the bird's dark blue "skullcap." The American bitter does not appear to have one that dark.

https://images.search.yahoo.com/sea...zEEc2VjA3Nj?p=American+Bittern&fr=yfp-t-404-s

 

[squirl033]

it's a green heron. bitterns lack the skull cap, as Bill mentioned; they also don't have the dark red coloration on the breast and neck. green herons may have a greenish hue to their legs, but the legs are often more yellow in younger birds. the bill is typically brighter in juveniles, and darkens (especially the upper half) as they get older. as you can see from some of the examples below. the last one doesn't show the legs, but does show the coloration and pattern on the wings, which bitterns do not have. in flight, from a distance, greenies (especially adults) look somewhat grayish across the back and shoulders, with dark areas on the wings and tail, a deep russet neck and a dark patch on the head. bitterns in flight have clearly defined darker areas on the outer wing primaries, but are tan-and-brown across the rest of the wings, back and shoulders, with no dark reddish color on the neck or head.

for what it's worth, bitterns are also quite rare around here... greenies are much more common...