Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis)

Abundance: Rare (at least 8 records in 6 counties, 1 in Kentucky and 5 in Tennessee).

Status: Summer Resident; deemed in need of management by the Tennessee Division of Natural Heritage (2004); deemed threatened by the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission (2004); sight records.

Regional High Count: "Several" (26 May 1935; marsh near Morrison, Warren County, Tennessee; Albert F. Ganier, H. O. Todd, John Calhoun; Ganier 1935b).

Information on Records: 

1 June 1930 (1) near Albany, Clinton County, Kentucky (Albert F. Ganier; Ganier 1935a).

15 August 1932 (1) marsh "between Rock Island and McMinnville," Warren County, Tennessee (Henry M. Stevenson; Stevenson 1933).

26 May 1935 ("several") marsh near Morrison, Warren County, Tennessee (Albert F. Ganier, H. O. Todd, John Calhoun; Ganier 1935b).

21 May 1970 (2) near Lillydale, Clay County, Tennessee (Roy T. Hinds; Parmer 1970c).

7 September 1976 (1) Monterey Lake, Putnam County, Tennessee (Morris D. Williams; Williams 1977).

2 August 1977 (2--including 1 young) City Lake [Natural Area], Putnam County, Tennessee (William J. Jones; Bierly 1978a),

5 June 1994 (1--calling) City Lake Natural Area, Putnam County, Tennessee (Barbara H. Stedman; Stedman and Stedman 1994b), registered during Breeding Bird Census.

19 September 2009 (1--seen) Waterview Rd. northeast of Monterey, Putnam County, Tennessee (Barbara H. Stedman unpubl. data), a Fall Bird Count record.

Regional Extreme Dates:

    Early Spring: 21 May 1970 (2; Clay County, Tennessee; Roy T. Hinds; Parmer 1970c).

    Late Fall: 19 September 2009 (1; Putnam County, Tennessee; Barbara H. Stedman).

Breeding: Confirmed.  A young bird noted 2 August 1977 at City Lake, Putnam County, Tennessee (Bierly 1978a), indicated breeding at that site, which, however, became nearly devoid of cattails by April 2005 and undoubtedly unsuitable as a breeding site for this species as a result.

Habitat: medium- to large-sized marshes with generous growths of cattails.

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: No registrations.

Remarks: Probably nested at most of the sites where observed, as each provided good habitat for this secretive bittern at the time of the sightings, though changes in the habitat have occurred since the sightings occurred in at least one case (City Lake in Putnam County).

    Alsop undated [1980] lists records for Overton and Pickett counties, Tennessee, as well as a breeding record in Warren County, Tennessee, the latter probably based on the record from 1935 in that county, which, however, lacks sufficient detail to confirm breeding by this species.

Counties with Observations (boldfaced) and Confirmed Breeding (green):

To see a map (Figure 1) displaying the data in the table above, click on the boldfaced word in this sentence.

Literature Cited