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Interesting animal species
The Great Bittern Botaurus stellaris
and the Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus
The species belong to the Heron family Ardeidae. They lead a secretive lifestyle under the cover of extensive reed-beds. The plumage of the Great Bittern is brown, specked with dark and light spots, and it perfectly blurs in with dry reeds. The bird's presence may be easily registered because of very loud and characteristic calls uttered by males in the breeding season. A male puffs out its gullet, using it as a resonator. The booming sound, similar to a sound produced when breathing air into an empty bottle, may be heard within a few kilometres. The Great Bittern builds its nest from plant material in extensive bulrush beds near water. It is a polygamous species, which means that one male may have even a few females with nests on its territory.
The Little Bittern is the smallest heron species. Its chicks climb nimbly on reeds before they learn to fly. If they sense danger, they become motionless, with the bill pointed upward, pretending a withered reed. Adult individuals behave similarly - they assume a vertical position and put the bill high up, which makes them almost invisible because of their camouflaging plumage. The call of a Little Bittern male is similar to dog barking.
The fish ponds in the O¶więcim Basin are one of the most important refuges of these endangered species.
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