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The American Bittern is a stocky brown heron with a black stripe on the neck, a head usually pointed up, and green legs. It has a range of Canada to the Gulf States, and winters in Panama. It has a habitat of marshes, reedy lakes or water, and seldom sits in trees. Its head is usually pointed upward with the black neck streak seen. It has a diet of mostly fish and other aquatic life. They move slowly through marsh grass, and are difficult to see with so little movement.