Rare bird is ‘very secretive’ and extremely loud. It was just seen near UK, video shows

A rare and elusive bird was recently spotted in the Channel Islands, an archipelago located between England and France.

The bird — a type of heron known as a bittern — was recorded in Jersey, the largest of the islands, by wildlife photographer John Ovenden.

“The very secretive Bittern made an appearance at the Wetland Center yesterday,” Ovenden wrote in a Dec. 30 Facebook post, referring to a conservation area on the west side of the island.

A video accompanying the post shows the creature, distinguished by its cream-colored feathers, stalking through a patch of reeds.

Another video posted by Ovenden depicts a bittern displaying “strange behavior.” In the footage, captured by a trail camera at the center, the bird can be seen moving erratically and extending its head toward the sky.

According to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), bitterns are considered rare, with just 228 males counted in the U.K. in 2022.

The species went locally extinct in the late 19th century due to overhunting and wetland destruction. But, in recent years, their small population has been growing in number.

The birds are known to migrate to Jersey — a British Crown Dependency — in the winter, according to the National Trust for Jersey.

Intriguingly, bitterns also hold the distinction of being the loudest birds in the entire U.K.

“The males make a remarkable far-carrying booming sound in spring which can be heard three miles away and is used to establish territories and attract female mates through the season,” according to the RSPB.

Further, they are often difficult to spot on account of their plumage, which camouflages them against the reedbeds they tend to occupy, according to the British Trust for Ornithology.

This story was originally published January 8, 2025 at 2:20 PM with the headline "Rare bird is ‘very secretive’ and extremely loud. It was just seen near UK, video shows."