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  Profile

• 

  In flight

Seabirds

Least Bittern

Ixobrychus exilis

• uncommon
• 72 km/h
• Least Concern

Smallest heron in the Americas, threads cattails sideways without bending a stem. Built for tight margins.

Population

About 93,300–106,000 mature individuals

Habitat

Freshwater and brackish marsh with dense reeds or cattails

Fun fact

It can grip reed stems and compress its body to move almost invisibly through marsh vegetation.

Range

Americas, from southern Canada to South America

Diet

Small fish, amphibians, crustaceans, and aquatic insects

Size

0.32 m

Wingspan

0.43 m

Lifespan

6 years