Little Bittern vs Réunion Night-Heron

Ixobrychus minutus compared with Nycticorax duboisi

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Little Bittern Réunion Night-Heron
Scientific Name Ixobrychus minutus Nycticorax duboisi
Order Pelecaniformes Pelecaniformes
Family Ardeidae Ardeidae
Conservation Status Least Concern Extinct
Length
Wingspan 28.5 cm (11.2 in)
Weight 104.5 g (3.69 oz)
Diet -- --
Clutch Size 2-9 --
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Little Bittern only

Réunion Night-Heron only

None

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Conservation Status

Least Concern

Little Bittern

Extinct

Réunion Night-Heron

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About These Birds

Little Bittern

The Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus) is a small heron of the family Ardeidae and the smallest heron breeding in Europe. Adult males are striking birds: the crown, back, and tail are glossy black, sharply contrasting with large, pale buff to cream-colored wing patches on both the upper and lower wing surfaces — features immediately conspicuous in flight. The neck, breast, and belly are pale buff with a darker central stripe, and the facial skin around the eye is yellow. Females …

Réunion Night-Heron

The Réunion Night-Heron (Nycticorax duboisi) is an extinct species of night-heron belonging to the family Ardeidae, formerly endemic to the island of Réunion in the southwestern Indian Ocean. The species is known only from a brief historical description by the early European traveler Dubois, who visited Réunion in 1671–1672 and described a large, gray-colored bird with a white belly that was hunted and eaten by settlers. No specimens are known to exist in museum collections, and no skeletal remains have …

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