“both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it…”
This is describing Nineveh after judgment—once proud, rich, and powerful, but now so desolate that wild creatures live in its ruined buildings.
A cormorant is a dark waterbird, often black or brownish-black, with a long neck and hooked bill. It dives for fish and is often seen near lakes, rivers, or coasts. Cornell describes double-crested cormorants as large waterbirds with long, kinked necks, hooked bills, and bodies that sit low in the water.
A bittern is a marsh bird, related to herons. It is usually brown, streaked, and very well camouflaged among reeds. It has a long pointed bill and is known for hiding in marsh grass. Cornell describes American bitterns as medium-sized herons with compact bodies, thick necks, and brown, buff, and white streaking.
But in the KJV Bible setting, the exact animal identification is a little uncertain. The KJV translates them as “cormorant” and “bittern,” but some later lexicons and translations understand the Hebrew words differently—possibly something like a pelican/desert bird for the first word, and a hedgehog/porcupine/desert owl type creature for the second. BibleHub’s lexicon notes that the Hebrew behind “bittern” in Zephaniah 2:14 is sometimes identified as “hedgehog.”
So the main point is not the exact species. The point is this:
Nineveh would be turned from a proud royal city into a deserted ruin where only wild birds and beasts lived.
In plain language:
God is saying, “The city that once housed kings will become a nesting place for wild creatures.”
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