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Background color of Great Bittern is clayey-buff; each feather is black-brown mottled. Forehed, crown and nape are black-brownish. There are no differences in seasonal and age plumages. Bill, legs and skin near eyes are greenish-yellow; legs are slightly greener than bill; claws are black-brown, eyes are yellow. Sizes: wing 320-350, tail 113-116, tarsus 96-102 mm.

Biology

The Eurasian Bittern is common breeding migrant. It inhabits lakes and weak current rivers with plentiful reed-beds, mace-reed and cane. Appears early (identified by voice), at early March - mid-April (at Semipalatinsk in second half of April - early May) Migrates singly, rare in pairs. Nest is built among reed-beds from reed stems and leaves. Birds continue to construct the nest during incubation and raising of juveniles. Clutches usually 3-5, rarely 6 eggs, which found in mid - end May. Just hatched juveniles found mid-June - mid-July; flying young observed mid-July - August. Courtship booming of males heard till to early July. Repeated breeding after loss of clutches is possible. Autumn migration (singly or in small flocks of 3-8 birds) begins at end of August, majority of birds departs in September - October; single birds recorded in mid-November.

References

"Птицы Казахстана" том 1. "Наука". Алма-Ата, 1960. Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999. Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005.