Bittern Friendly Rice Growing
Bitterns arrive in rice crops about two months after sowing and begin nesting once there is sufficient cover. Bittern-friendly rice growing is centred on maximising breeding success, giving baby bitterns the best chance of surviving to fledge.
Following extensive research, the most important aspect is an early and sufficient ponding period, also known as “early permanent water”. This traditional rice growing method involves continuous flooding from October through to March, whereas new water-saving methods delay and contract the ponding period.
You can read more here in our Bittern Friendly Rice Growing Tips and see the detail behind the guidelines in our scientific publications. Other bittern-friendly rice growing activities include creating adjacent wetland refuges, maintaining grassy banks and reducing the predator threat from foxes and cats.
These bittern-friendly rice growing methods are for rice growers in the NSW Riverina that are keen and able to help conserve this special bird. From 2019-2023, over 3600 hectares of bittern-friendly rice was officially grown under contract by a program run by Riverina Local Land Services, funded by the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.
Ramping up the bittern yield, the number of fledged young like COG pictured here, is central to bittern friendly rice growing.
