Family: Ardeidae, Herons, Egrets, Bitterns view all from this family

Description 11-14" (28-36 cm). A tiny, secretive heron with blackish back and conspicuous buff wing patches and underparts. Female and young are similar but duller, more buffy.

Habitat Freshwater marshes where cattails and reeds predominate.

Nesting 2-7 pale blue or green eggs placed on a flimsy platform of dead cattails or reeds, usually about a foot above the water.

Range Breeds locally in Oregon, California, and Southwest, and from Manitoba and Texas east to Atlantic Coast. Winters from southern California, lower Colorado River, and Gulf Coast southward. Also in South America.

Voice   A soft coo-coo-coo, easily overlooked.

Discussion Although this heron is common in suitable habitat, it takes luck or patience to see one. Even more furtive than the American Bittern, this species relies on its cryptic coloration to escape detection and seldom flies, and then does so only for a few seconds before it drops out of sight. It spends most of its time picking its way quietly through the densest marshes, looking for frogs, crayfish, and other small aquatic creatures. It is a skilled climber and can be found several feet above the water, holding onto the swaying reeds with its long toes. The very rare rufous form, once thought to be a separate species, is called "Cory's Least Bittern."