American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus)Where and when to see it in the UK
Scarce migrant · reporting peaks April · Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns · BOU category A
Too few records to rate squares by month. Each marked square has at least one record; the table below gives the count and years.
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (grid squares, place names from OS Open Names). Northern Ireland place names: OSNI Open Data, OGL v3.0. County and country boundaries: Office for National Statistics, Open Government Licence v3.0. Coastline: Natural Earth. Bird records from the data partners listed here.
American Bittern has been recorded in 6 of the 2,971 10 km squares covering UK land (0%) in records to 2026. Scarce migrant in the UK. Reporting peaks in April.
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, LC)
View on the IUCN Red ListRecords by 10 km square
| Square | Where | Records | Years | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NB56 | Na h-Eileanan Siar, Scotland | 3 | 2019 | unverified |
| TM59 | Suffolk, England | 106 | 2018 | unverified |
| TM49 | Norfolk, England | 7 | 2018 | unverified |
| SW97 | Cornwall, England | 19 | 2010 | unverified |
| SW43 | Cornwall, England | 9 | 2010 | unverified |
| SW86 | Cornwall, England | 1 | 2010 | unverified |