A fowl about the size of a heron, and of the same genus. Nineveh and Babylon became a possession for "the bittern" and other wild birds, Isaiah 14:23 34:11 Zephaniah 2:14 . According to some critics, the more probable meaning of the Hebrew word is hedge-hog, or porcupine; and Mr. Rich says he found "great quantities" of porcupine quills among the ruins of Babylon; but others think this inconsistent with Zephaniah 2:14 , and understand the word is referring to the common night-heron, a bird like the bittern found among the marshes of Western Asia, resorting to ruined buildings, and uttering a peculiar harsh cry before and after its evening flight.