Least Bittern Sounds

Overview
ID info
Life History
Maps
Sounds

Song
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New York, June 22, 2017Recorded by Jay McGowan | Macaulay Library
Song
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California, July 12, 2020Recorded by Paul Marvin | Macaulay Library
Song
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California, June 08, 2020Recorded by Nancy Christensen | Macaulay Library
Calls
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Florida, December 07, 2009Recorded by Bob McGuire | Macaulay Library
Calls
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New York, June 22, 2017Recorded by Jay McGowan | Macaulay Library
Calls
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Florida, May 22, 2012Recorded by Andrew Spencer
Flight calls
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May 09, 2011Recorded by Benjamin Van Doren
Song (South American vocal group)
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October 24, 1999Recorded by Kristof Zyskowski | Macaulay Library

Sounds provided by Macaulay Library.
Listen to more sounds of this species from the ML archive.

Songs

In spring, males sing a subtle, quiet coo-coo-coo-coo from concealed locations to attract mates and mark territory.

Calls

Least Bitterns make a variety of calls, including a ticking sound made by a receptive female in response to a singing male, a rail-like gak-gak! that apparently serves as a contact call between mates, and other cackles, clucks, hisses, and shrieks—probably used as alarm calls or in threat displays against predators. Flying nocturnal migrants sometimes give a high, clucking gark that recalls Green Heron or American Bittern but is higher in pitch.

Other Sounds

Birds at the nest sometimes make rattling sounds with the bill.

Compare with Similar Species

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American Bittern

Green Heron

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

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Species in This Family

Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns(Order: Pelecaniformes, Family: Ardeidae)

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

Browse Species in This Family

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How long do birds incubate their eggs and how long do chicks stay in the nest?

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I found a nest with eggs in it and no adult birds seem to be attending to it. I think it's abandoned, or I scared the parents away. What should I do?

Should I worry that my small, five-pound dog might get attacked by a hawk or owl?