Bence was camping in his hide, hoping to photograph little bitterns.

The greatest 'catch' of all is the first recorded breeding in Britain of the little bittern.

Little bitterns were common in the delta, but the elusive, well-camouflaged marsh birds were heard more often than seen.

Formerly lumped with the Little Bittern, it is one of the smallest herons in the world.

"Little Bittern"

The Little Bittern's breeding habitat is reedbeds.

New Zealand Little Bittern / Kaoriki.

Least Bittern forms a superspecies with Little Bittern and Yellow Bittern.

In 1991 Philip Millener identified Horn's material as remains of the New Zealand Little Bittern.

Birds Australia: Bittern Survey (includes downloadable call of Australian Little Bittern)

The New Zealand Little Bittern (Ixobrychus novaezelandiae) is an extinct and enigmatic species of heron in the Ardeidae family.

Differences from Little Bittern include a larger buff patch on the upperwing, black upperparts streaked light brown, underparts streaked dark brown and rufous-buff.

Purdie was the original describer of the New Zealand Little Bittern (Ixobrychus novaezelandiae (Purdie, 1871)).

Ramblers Holidays (01707 331133; www.ramblersholidays.co.uk) Combines walking and birdwatching on a new holiday in Lesbos to spot herons, little bitterns, flamingo, storks and ibis.

ARDEIDAE Ixobrychus minutus (Little Bittern)

They included rare vagrants to the UK such as Little Bittern, Squacco Heron and White-rumped Sandpiper.

Having paired the pair continue to build the nest in almost all species, although in the Little Bittern and Least Bittern only the male works on the nest.

Among the important birds in the area are the Little Bittern, Ferruginous Duck, Mute Swan, Western Marsh Harrier, Paddyfield Warbler.

The Little Bittern is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

Notable birds found in the lake area include the Little Bittern, Cattle Egrets, Grey Herons, White Storks, Common Teal and Eurasian Coot.

The Common Snipe, Little Bittern, White and Black Stork, Water Rail, Osprey, Great Reed Warbler and many duck species belong between the most endangered ones.

The bittern has sometimes been regarded as a subspecies of the Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus), or of the New Zealand Little Bittern (Ixobrychus novaezelandiae).

However, molecular evidence has shown that it is more closely related to the Yellow Bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis) than to the African and Palaearctic forms of the Little Bittern and is now recognised as a full species.

The Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus) is a wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, native to the Old World, breeding in Africa, central and southern Europe, western and southern Asia, and Madagascar.

The bittern has sometimes been regarded as a subspecies of the Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus), or of the New Zealand Little Bittern (Ixobrychus novaezelandiae).

The Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus) is a wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, native to the Old World, breeding in Africa, central and southern Europe, western and southern Asia, and Madagascar.

The species has sometimes been regarded as a subspecies of Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus), or conspecific with the Australian Little Bittern, though it was first described by Alexander Callender Purdie in 1871 as Ardeola Novae Zelandiae.