Black bittern

Dupetor flavicollis The black bittern (Botaurus flavicollis) is a bittern of Old World origin, breeding in tropical Asia from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka east to China, Indonesia, and Australia.

The black bittern was formally described in 1790 by the English ornithologist John Latham under the binomial name Ardea flavicollis.

They can be difficult to see, given their skulking lifestyle and reed bed habitat, but tend to fly fairly frequently when the all black upperparts makes them unmistakable.

[8] Black bitterns feed on frogs, fish up to 15cm in length, crustacea and insects.

[8] Black bitterns are not listed as threatened on the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.