KENDRAPARA: The Bhitarkanika National Park has recorded sighting of the Great Bittern for the first time. The bird was spotted during the annual avian census at Sasanapeta area, with official confirmation coming on Monday.
Divisional forest officer Sudrashan Gopinath Yadav said the bird’s sighting reflects the robust ecological health of Bhitarkanika’s wetlands. The park’s diverse ecosystem comprising mangrove forests, mudflats, saltwater marshes and grasslands has long served as a haven for both resident and migratory birds.
Ornithologist Gauhar Abedin said the Great Bittern, which goes by the species name Botaurus Stellaris, is a member of the heron family and characterised by its puffy-brown plumage with dark streaks and distinctive yellow iris surrounded by greenish or bluish bare skin.
The bird typically breeds in Europe between March and July, feeding on fish, small mammals, amphibians and invertebrates in shallow waters. This sighting follows the bird’s first recorded appearance in the Kashmir Valley at Wular Lake in November 2024.