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Kōrero: Wetland birds

Bittern nest with chicks

Image
Bittern nest with chicks

A female bittern makes a well-concealed nest by bending long reed leaves at the water’s edge to create a raised platform. She lays two to five olive-brown eggs, which she incubates without help from the male – who patrols the territory, booming to warn others to stay away. Once the chicks hatch, she alone feeds them, leaving them unguarded while she searches for food.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Department of Conservation

Reference: 10028777

by M. F. Soper

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Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Christina Troup, Wetland birds – Bitterns and spoonbills, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/photograph/14620/bittern-nest-with-chicks (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Christina Troup, i tāngia i te 1 March 2009.