Britain's loudest bird is making a remarkable comeback from the brink of extinction

Nature · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The bittern, a secretive heron with camouflage plumage, was once driven to local extinction in the UK by habitat loss and persecution. Now, through targeted wetland restoration, this elusive bird is returning to its former homes, with its booming mating call once again echoing across the country's reedbeds.

The Eurasian bittern is a thickset member of the heron family, known for its exceptional camouflage and a powerful, foghorn-like mating call that can reach 100 decibels. This sound, which early naturalists likened to a bull, is the primary method for tracking the species, as the birds are notoriously difficult to spot within their dense reedbed habitats. Historically, the bittern was widespread, but the draining of wetlands during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, combined with egg collection, caused the species to vanish from the UK by the 1880s.

After a partial return to Norfolk in the early 1900s, the population remained precarious. By 1997, only 11 booming males were recorded across the UK. This low point triggered a concerted conservation effort focused on restoring and creating a network of suitable reedbed sites. These interventions have been highly successful; by 2016, the number of booming males had risen to 160, and recent surveys have recorded 283 booming males, marking the largest increase since monitoring began in 1990.

Despite this recovery, the species faces ongoing challenges. As the birds expand into new areas, such as the West Midlands and northern England, their nesting sites are increasingly located outside of designated Special Protected Areas. In 2019, only 23% of nesting sites held this protection, a significant drop from 90% in the 1990s. Furthermore, climate change poses a long-term threat to coastal reedbeds due to rising sea levels, necessitating the creation of inland habitats to ensure the bittern's future remains secure.

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