Botaurus
| Botaurus | |
|---|---|
| File:Botaurus lentiginosus 28079.JPG | |
| American bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) | |
| Scientific classification Edit this classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Pelecaniformes |
| Family: | Ardeidae |
| Subfamily: | Botaurinae |
| Genus: | Botaurus Stephens, 1819 |
| Type species | |
| Ardea stellaris Linnaeus, 1758
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Ixobrychus Billberg, 1828 | |
Botaurus is a genus of bitterns, a group of wading birds from the heron family Ardeidae. The genus includes species that were previously placed in the genus Ixobrychus.
Taxonomy
[edit | edit source]The genus Botaurus was introduced in 1819 by the English naturalist James Francis Stephens.[1] Stephens did not specify the type species but this was designated as Ardea stellaris Linnaeus (Eurasian bittern) by George Gray in 1840.[2][3] The name Botaurus is Medieval Latin for a bittern. The word combines Latin bos meaning "oxen" (compare butire "to boom") and taurus meaning "bull".[4] In describing the Eurasian bittern Stephens wrote: "At this period the male makes a singular noise, which is compared with the deep bellowing of a bull, and is continued for about two months: ...".[1][5]
The genus formerly contained fewer species. Molecular genetic studies found that the genus Ixobrychus was paraphyletic with respect to Botaurus.[6][7] To resolve the non-monophyly the genus Ixobrychus was merged into Botaurus which has priority.[8][9]
The bitterns are large chunky, heavily streaked brown birds which breed in large reed beds. Almost uniquely for predatory birds, the female rears the young alone.[10] They are secretive and well-camouflaged, and despite their size they can be difficult to observe except for occasional flight views. They eat fish, frogs, and similar aquatic life.[11]
Species
[edit | edit source]The genus contains 14 species, this includes the New Zealand bittern which is now extinct.[9]
| Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Eurasian Bittern - Torrile - Italy 4528 (15409347121).jpg | Botaurus stellaris | Eurasian bittern | File:Botaurus stellaris map.svg Europe and Asia from the British Isles, Sweden and Finland eastwards to Sakhalin Island in eastern Siberia and Hokkaido Island in Japan |
| File:Botaurus poiciloptilus (Australasian Bittern; Matuku) (48719316081).jpg | Botaurus poiciloptilus | Australasian bittern | File:Botaurus poiciloptilus map.svg Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, New Caledonia and Ouvea |
| File:American Bittern in California.JPG | Botaurus lentiginosus | American bittern | File:Botaurus lentiginosus map.svg the U.S. Gulf Coast states, all of Florida into the Everglades, the Caribbean islands and parts of Central America |
| File:Botaurus pinnatus.jpg | Botaurus pinnatus | Pinnated bittern or South American bittern | File:Botaurus pinnatus map.svg Mexico to northern Argentina, though there are few records for Guatemala and Honduras |
| File:Ixobrychus involucris.jpg | Botaurus involucris (formerly placed in Ixobrychus) | Stripe-backed bittern | File:Ixobrychus involucris map.svg Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and the island of Trinidad, and in Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile and Brazil |
| File:Least Bittern Toronto 2018-05-26-2.jpg | Botaurus exilis (formerly placed in Ixobrychus) | Least bittern | File:Ixobrychus exilis map.svg southern Canada to northern Argentina |
| File:Black bittern .jpg | Botaurus flavicollis (formerly placed in Ixobrychus) | Black bittern | File:Dupetor flavicollis map.svg tropical Asia from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka east to China, Indonesia, and Australia |
| File:Watching (26153786575).jpg | Botaurus cinnamomeus (formerly placed in Ixobrychus) | Cinnamon bittern | File:Ixobrychus cinnamomeus map.svg tropical and subtropical Asia from India east to China and Indonesia |
| File:Schrenk's Bittern fem - Kang Kra Chan - Thailand S4E4834 (14235609026).jpg | Botaurus eurhythmus (formerly placed in Ixobrychus) | Von Schrenck's bittern | File:Ixobrychus eurhythmus map.svg Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Laos, China and Siberia |
| File:Dwarf bittern, Ixobrychus sturmii, at Harvey's Pans, Savuti in Chobe National Park, Botswana (31974132380).jpg | Botaurus sturmii (formerly placed in Ixobrychus) | Dwarf bittern | File:Ixobrychus sturmii map.svg Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Spain (the Canary Islands), Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe |
| File:Ixobrychus minutus 3 (Marek Szczepanek).jpg | Botaurus minutus (formerly placed in Ixobrychus) | Little bittern | File:IxobrychusMinutusIUCNvr2018 2.png Africa, central and southern Europe, western and southern Asia, and Madagascar |
| File:YELLOW BITTERN.jpg | Botaurus sinensis (formerly placed in Ixobrychus) | Yellow bittern | File:Ixobrychus sinensis map.svg northern Indian Subcontinent, east to the Russian Far East, Japan and Indonesia. |
| File:Australian Little Bittern Sherwood Nov01.jpg | Botaurus dubius (formerly placed in Ixobrychus) | Black-backed bittern | File:Ixobrychus dubius map.svg Australia and southern New Guinea |
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References
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