The American Bittern

By Al Lowe
Contributor

What is that strange sound over in the marsh? It sounds like an old fashioned pump. No, it sounds like someone driving a stake.
In a swamp? In the water?
Okay, move towards it to see what it is. As you get closer it seems to come from the right. Closer still, it seems to come from the left. But the pumping hasn't stopped. What on earth is it?
Well, for those of you in the know, it is the American Bittern, a bird of the marshes, the sloughs, the wetlands.
There aren't many birds like this one. He is a pretty good size, maybe as big as a small crow. But he has long legs, fairly big feet, and a rapier like beak.
The plumage of the bittern isn't very exciting. Back and wings just brown with some dark and light mottling. The breast is streaked brown and white, with a black line on each side of the neck. Note these stripes all run lengthwise to the bird's body. The beak is yellowish and the legs are yellowy green.
The bittern builds a nest, usually in the wet part of the marsh. The nest normally is just a pile of marsh grass, weeds and so on, hidden among the bulrushes. Here is a funny thing about that nest. The bittern builds two paths from its nest. One is for coming and the other is for going. So when the bird leaves it nest, it sneaks along the "out" path to the end, which is always quite a distance away. Only then does it fly up into the air. Coming back is the same idea in reverse. It lands at the end of the "in" path, makes sure the coast is clear, and then carefully goes back to its nest. Some observers tell us the female will stand and look for five minutes before going along the trail.
Now about that 'pumping' noise. This is a sort of love-note, if you can believe that. It is heard most often in the spring, but in the summer as well, probably as a territorial sound. This sound is made in a very odd fashion.
First, the bittern takes several gulps of air, which apparently distends its crop. Then it starts the pumping noise by blowing air out in a rush.
Meanwhile, the head and neck thrash around. The sound you hear is usually in three syllables, "plum-pudd-in," with the accent on the second one. To get the air into its crop, the skin and muscles along the neck and chest become thick and muscular, especially in the spring.
Another odd thing about the bittern is its ability to disappear. This bird is a master of camouflage. It can vanish while it is in plain sight. To do this, it freezes, and points its head and neck straight up. Now, remember those stripes along the front? Well, when our friend is standing straight and he is perfectly still, he looks just like the marsh grasses he is next to.
The young birds are fed by regurgitation. The mother swallows fish, crayfish, snakes, mice and so on, and brings it all up into the beaks of the young when it gets home. It doesn't seem like a very sanitary way of doing it to us, but it seems to work for bitterns.
So there is the American Bittern, Botaurus lentiginosus. It has some of the most odd habits of the bird world. You can hear it often in the spring and summer, usually near wet areas. But you will need to be both patient and careful to actually see it.