Common name: Eurasian Bittern (واق اوراسي)
Scientific name: Botaurus stellaris
Family: Ardeidae

Size:
Body length: 69–81 cm
Wingspan: 100–130 cm
Weight: 0.9–1.9 kg

Identification:
A large, stocky heron with cryptic buff and brown streaked plumage that provides exceptional camouflage among reeds. It has a thick neck, pointed bill, and yellowish eyes. When alarmed, it adopts a characteristic “bittern pose,” stretching its neck upward and aligning with surrounding reeds, becoming almost invisible. In flight, it appears broad-winged and slow, with rounded wings and trailing legs.

Habitat:
Dense freshwater wetlands, reedbeds, marshes, and reed-fringed lakes. Prefers areas with tall, thick vegetation and shallow water where it can remain concealed while hunting.

Status in the UAE:
Scarce winter visitor and passage migrant. Recorded occasionally in well-developed wetland habitats such as marshes, lagoons, and protected reserves.

Diet:
Carnivorous — feeds mainly on fish, amphibians, insects, and small mammals, hunting slowly and stealthily along the edges of reeds.

Behavior:
Extremely secretive and solitary. Often remains hidden within dense vegetation and is more frequently heard than seen. Males produce a deep, resonant “booming” call during the breeding season, which can carry over long distances across wetlands.

Conservation status:
Least Concern (IUCN Red List)