The Great or Eurasian bittern (Botaurus stellaris) is a secretive bird, seldom seen in the open as it prefers to skulk in reed beds and thick vegetation near water bodies. Bitterns are thickset herons with bright, pale, buffy-brown plumage covered with dark streaks and bars As its alternate name suggests, this species is the largest of the bitterns, with males being rather larger than females. As well as Europe, it may breed in Israel, probably breeds in Iraq, and vagrants are recorded in Syria and Jordan.