What does the Least Bittern sound like at night?
Press play. If that is the sound outside, you have your answer — the Least Bittern's "Soft coo-coo-coo".
What you're hearing
The male Least Bittern's song is a low, repetitive cooing. It's usually described as a series of soft "coo-coo-coo" notes, almost dove-like but quieter. These notes carry through the marsh at dawn and dusk during breeding season. The song is easily overlooked because of its subtle volume; you might need to be fairly close to hear this gentle hooting.
“Soft coo-coo-coo”
Birders often file this one under Breeding Song.
What time of night you hear it
Dawn, dusk and into the night, in dense freshwater marsh, in summer.
A shy, mostly crepuscular bird – most active at dawn, dusk, and nighttime. Often heard giving soft cooing calls at dusk and sometimes during the night. Breeding occurs in late spring and summer, when pairs build well-hidden platform nests in marsh vegetation. They may nest in loose colonies if habitat is good. During breeding season, territorial calls (a soft coo-coo-coo) are commonly heard at twilight. In winter, they remain quiet and solitary in dense marshes.
Why a Least Bittern calls at night
A soft, low, dove-like coo-coo-coo from deep inside the reeds — easy to mistake for a distant dove until you realize it is coming from the middle of a marsh. This is a small, secretive heron that is nearly always detected by voice.
What else could it be?
The other voices you are most likely to hear in the dark. Play them and compare.