Species › Birds

Eurasian Bittern

Botaurus stellaris

Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Ardeidae
Presence in the Strait: Seasonal
Abundance: scarce
Protection in Spain: In danger of extinction · Andalusian Catalogue
In Spanish: Avetoro común

Photograph: Kim, CC BY, vía iNaturalist

Length: 64–80 cm
Wingspan: 125–135 cm
Weight: 867 g

Presence in the Strait

Scarce winter visitor at La Janda.

Identification

Slightly smaller than a Grey Heron but more stocky and with highly cryptic plumage similar to an Eagle Owl.

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

Photographs from iNaturalist observations with the licence checked file by file. Those marked “Strait” were taken within the area; place and date are those of each observation.

Calendar in the Strait

41 %

Peak in December. Observations under CC0 or CC BY licences. The distribution also reflects observation effort.

Where it is seen

Open records from the atlas database, in cells of about 3.6 km. Opacity follows the square root of the count, and also reflects where people observe most.

See on the map

First open record: 5 January 2000
Latest record: 15 December 2021

The oldest and the most recent open observation in the extended area. A recent first observation does not mean the species is new: it means nobody had published it openly before.

Conservation

The catalogues, Andalusian and Spanish, are what binds; the Red Book assesses the Spanish population with IUCN criteria, and the global Red List is the context.

LCNTVUENCR

Andalusian Catalogue: In danger of extinction
Spanish Catalogue: In danger of extinction
Red Book of the Birds of Spain 2021: CR · Critically endangered · breeding
Global Red List (IUCN): LC · Least concern

Plan: AVES DE HUMEDALES · Annex I of the Birds Directive

Andalusian Catalogue: Junta de Andalucía, list of 24 April 2025. Spanish Catalogue: MITECO, table of 30 June 2025. Red Book: SEO/BirdLife, 2021 (Annex I). IUCN: via GBIF, 6 September 2026. Red Book and IUCN categories are assessments; catalogue categories are legal obligations.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Ardeidae
GBIF taxon key: 2480910

Sources

Distribution and calendar: Bioestrecho's own database, ingested from GBIF and OBIS
Photograph: Kim, CC BY, vía iNaturalist
Taxonomy: GBIF backbone, pending WoRMS for marine taxa
Editorial text: written by Bioestrecho
Last revised: 8 September 2026

Eurasian Bittern

Presence in the Strait

Identification

Gallery