NESTING OF THE LEAST BITTERN. 



(Ar delta exilis.) 



The Bitterns and also the herons be- 

 long to the bird family Ardeida?, a fam- 

 ily of world-wide distribution, though 

 the larger number of the species are 

 found in the tropical and sub-tropical re- 

 gions. The Least Bittern is the smallest 

 American representative of this family. 

 It is an inhabitant of both North and 

 South America, and breeds from Central 

 America northward to the southern lim- 

 its of Ontario and Manitoba. 



The Least Bittern is a beautiful bird, 

 about twelve and one-half inches in 

 length, and of a retiring disposition, 

 though not adverse to living in a noisy 

 environment, provided it is unmolested 

 in its home among the tall grasses and 

 rushes of marshes. The males possess a 

 small crest which, like the color of the 

 back and tail, is a dark, glossy green. 

 The feathers on the other parts of the 

 body are various shades of chestnut and 

 yellowish brown, certain shades being 

 more pronounced in some individuals 

 than in others. The female is paler in 

 color and the upper parts are richly 

 shaded with chestnut brown. Several 

 authors speak of the Least Bittern as a 

 "silent bird," and although this is a char- 

 acteristic, I have frequently seen and 

 heard them utter a peculiar "squaak," 

 especially if suddenly approached. It is 

 its habit to lurk in the reedy borders of 

 boggy ponds and marshy lakesides, where 

 the gallinules and rails also abound. An 

 interesting habit of this bird is that of 

 perching on an upright reed where, with 

 its neck extended, it remains motionless 

 for many minutes at a time. While in 

 such a position, the Bittern closely re- 

 sembles a dead limb and easily escapes 

 observation. While pushing my boat 

 among the rushes during a rainstorm, I 

 have seen the Least Bittern roosting in 

 a clump of vegetation. Here, with its 

 head drawn between its shoulders, it ap- 

 peared as if endeavoring to avoid a 



drenching and was oblivious to its sur- 

 roundings. At such a time the bird fur- 

 nishes an opportunity for witnessing an 

 amusing performance. I have gently 

 touched one of the little fellows when 

 in such a position. "Rock, Rock," it 

 seemed to call, and in its sudden efforts 

 to escape, it would lose its equilibrium 

 and fall into the water. 



The Least Bittern is a delicate crea- 

 ture and susceptible to cold weather. It 

 is one of the latest of the marsh birds 

 to arrive in the latitude of the Great 

 Lakes. In the states bordering the Gulf 

 of Mexico, it is resident throughout the 

 year, and may rear two broods in a sea- 

 son. The annual appearance of this Bit- 

 tern is quite variable. In some seasons 

 every available marsh throughout the 

 "Calumet Region," just south of the city 

 of Chicago, contains a colony of these 

 species, while in the following year there 

 may be a marked decrease in the num- 

 ber of these birds. This may be due to 

 an unusually cold spring or to the lack 

 of sufficient water in their natural breed- 

 ing grounds. 



The nest of the Least Bittern is com- 

 posed of the coarse grass, reeds and 

 rushes, the bird using whichever of these 

 materials that is the nearest at hand. It 

 is usually a mere platform built upon 

 the same kind of vegetation as that with 

 which the nest is constructed. Occasion- 

 ally the nest is built in a small bush. A 

 sitting Bittern is an interesting study. 

 If disturbed, she will frequently quietly 

 slip from the nest and, crouching in the 

 vegetation near by, will jealously watch 

 her treasures and will seldom take to 

 wing unless approached. The Least Bit- 

 tern will also occasionally eat or destroy 

 its own eggs. This habit I have only 

 observed when the nest was previously 

 disturbed, or the bird was greatly mo- 

 lested. 



T4 



