A richly marked, golden-buff, heron-like bird with a thick neck, big feet, broad wings and a dagger bill.

Restricted as it is to dense reed beds, the Bittern is a rarely seen, mysterious bird of the marshes. If it appears close to the water’s edge, it is still difficult to spot because its camouflage is remarkably effective against golden reed stems. In flight it is an odd, unlikely-looking bird: vaguely owl-like with bowed wings, trailing feet and a long, thickly feathered half-withdrawn neck.