Common Little Bittern

The little bittern is 33–38 centimetres long with a wingspan of 52–58 centimetres, the smallest of the breeding herons of Europe, characterised by its tiny size, long sharp bill and thick neck. The males are distinctively patterned and both sexes show pale forewing panels. Males are black with a faint green sheen on the crown, nape, back, tail and scapulars; the underparts are pale buff, and a pinkish-buff oval panel on the inner wing coverts contrasts with the otherwise black wings. The underwing is whitish throughout. (Wikipedia, general species account)

A wading bird of the heron family, it is native to the Old World, breeding in Africa, central and southern Europe, western and southern Asia and Madagascar. Birds from temperate regions of Europe and western Asia are migratory, wintering in Africa and further south in Asia, while those nesting in the tropics are sedentary. It is rare north of its breeding range, and breeding reports in Britain have never been proven. (Wikipedia, general species account)