The Great Bittern is one of Britain's rarest breeding birds, with a population of only about 20 breeding pairs.
Part of the reason for its rarity is its highly specialized habitat requirements: quiet, undisturbed, shallowly-flooded Phragmites reedbeds.
When sitting motionless in the reeds, Bitterns are practically invisible due to the perfect colour-match of their plumage to the colour and pattern of the Phragmites reed stems.
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