New Zealand bittern | |
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New Zealand bittern (adult and juvenile males) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Pelecaniformes |
Family: | Ardeidae |
Genus: | Botaurus |
Species: | †B. novaezelandiae
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Binomial name | |
†Botaurus novaezelandiae (Purdie, 1871)
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Synonyms | |
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The New Zealand bittern (Botaurus novaezelandiae) is an extinct and enigmatic species of heron in the family Ardeidae. It was endemic to New Zealand and was last recorded alive in the 1890s.[2]
Common names for this species include New Zealand little bittern, spotted heron, and kaoriki (Māori).[3] The scientific species name also has numerous junior synonyms.[3] This species was formerly placed in the genus Ixobrychus.