THE LITTLE BITTERN, 



215 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Vagrant. England. — Many south 

 and east coasts as far north as Yorks., a good many inland, but 

 few west and rare north. Chiefly spring and autumn, but occa- 

 sionally winter and summer. Scotland. — Four in south, one 

 Aberdeen, several Argyll, one O. Hebrides. Ireland. — Twenty -five, 

 of which only one is from Connaught. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — South and central Europe as well as 

 nearly whole of Africa and greater part of Asia as far south as the 

 Sunda Islands. Migratory in northern parts of its breeding range. 

 Casual Atlantic Isles. Represented by closely-allied forms in 

 America. 



Genus IXOBRYCHUS Billb. 



Ixobrychus Billberg, Syn. Faun. Scandin., i, 2, p. 168 (1828 — -Type by 

 subsequent determination, of Stone, 1907, I. minutus). 



Smallest Palaearctic Herons, body scarcely as large as Turtle- 

 Dove. Bill very much pointed, both mandibles finely serrated 

 before tip. Culmen nearly quite straight, nostrils slit-like, but 

 short. Long neck bare on back, though overgrown by long neck- 

 feathers. Tarsus in front scutate, scutes towards toes sometimes 

 divided into small scales. Differs from former genera and agrees 

 with Botaurus in having only 10 tail-feathers, Ardea, etc., having 

 12. No ornamental " train." Sexes differently coloured. Chiefly 

 crepuscular and nocturnal. About a dozen species, but only one 

 in Europe. 



IXOBRYCHUS MINUTUS 



281. Ixobrychus minutus minutus (L.)— THE LITTLE BITTERN 



Ardea mintjta Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. xn, i, p. 240 (1766 — Helvetia, 



Aleppo. Restricted typical locality : Switzerland). 



Ardetta minuta (Linnaeus), Yarrell, iv, p. 200 ; Saunders, p. 381. 



Description. — Adult male. Winter and summer. — Whole crown, 



nape, mantle, 



scapulars, back, 



rump and upper 



I tail-coverts black 



■fete*, glossed green 



^P^ (feathers of crown 



and neck rather 



The Little Bittern. {Ixobrychus minutus). Wing of adult male. long and tips of 



loose structure) ; line over eye, ear-coverts and feathers on sides of 

 neck covering bare back of neck buffish-grey ; sides of chin white 

 or whitish, down centre of chin, throat and centre of breast creamy- 

 buff to warm buff, bases of feathers white (feathers of lower-throat 

 elongated) ; on each side of upper-breast patch of black-brown, 

 feathers margined buff ; flanks and sides buff, feathers with some 

 fine brown shaft-streaks ; centre of belly, under tail-coverts pale 



