RSPB: Bitterns make booming recovery in UK wetlands

The bittern, Britain's loudest bird, is making a recovery after almost disappearing from the UK twice.

The birds had a record-breaking year in 2021, with 228 males counted, up from 203 in 2019.

Ornithologist Dr Alex Lees described it as a spectacular success story thanks to the restoration of wetlands.

The Manchester Metropolitan scientist told the news that it shows that conservativism works.

A member of the heron family, the Bitterns are well camouflaged and hide in reed beds.

The best way to count them is during the breeding season, when the male'sfoghorn call can be heard three miles away.

The male bittern does not use a voice box but uses his windpipe to expand his gullet into an echo chamber.

The birds were wiped out in the UK in the 1870s.

Their disappearance was caused by a combination of hunting and draining of their wetlands.

When the first annual surveys began in 1990, the numbers were very low.

In 1997 there were only 11 males in the whole of the UK, putting them on the verge of a second national extinction.

The number of wetlands has more than doubled in the past 10 years due to systematic restoration and re-creation.

The recovery shows how quickly nature can bounce back when given the chance, according to a senior scientist from the wildlife charity.

Dr Lees said the success of wetlands isn't just about bitterns.

We've invested millions in restoring and creating wetlands and that's meant species like cranes, spoonbills, little egrets and great egrets have returned as well.

Wetlands are probably the biggest success story of the last 40 years, it is the group of species that is bucking the trend of nature loss.

Wetlands play a role in flood protection and combatting climate change by sequestering carbon-rich plant matter in their mud.

Mr Wooton said that their restoration was a win-win for wildlife and people.

We hope that one day the boom of the bittern will be heard in the UK.

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