#ThreatenedThursday: Australasian Bittern

The endangered Australasian Bittern is a large, heron-like bird, characterised as a secretive bird, for it is heard more often than it is seen. The male of the species has a distinctive 'booming' call. The Bittern feeds on frogs, eels and freshwater crustaceans, lives in densely vegetated wetlands and nests on the ground. The Australian Government is currently funding support for projects working to help restore precious habitat for the Bittern. Efforts here are seeing some reward, with small increases in Bittern populations in some areas being observed. It's certainly a step in the right direction and with more efforts like this, hopefully this beautiful bird can be saved from the brink of extinction.

Photo credit: Wayne Butterworth - https://www.flickr.com/photos/frankzed/14726836493/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71...