The Green Heron

Have you fallen in love yet with the Green Heron? I’ve always searched for the Great Blue Heron for photographic opportunities rather than what I thought was the less spectacular bird.

Earlier this year, fellow TMN Diana Lehmann and I visited the South Padre Island Birding Center in search of the Mangrove Warbler (which we did see). Little did I expect to leave with a new respect and love for a bird I have so casually photographed and dismissed in the past.

The Green Heron is stocky and I’ve usually seen them hunched down patiently waiting for a potential meal to swim by. Although I’ve noticed their unique coloring, I’ve found them less impressive than the tall, stately Great Blue. That changed with this visit. Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

I find the Green Herons harder to spot, especially in the mangroves, but Diana has a much better eye at identifying them. As we observed, they hunt as patiently as the Great Blue Heron, typically staying close to the water’s edge. Their long, pointed bill is perfect for spearing their prey. In researching them, I found that they are one of the world’s few tool-using species, creating fishing lures with insects, feathers, or breadcrumbs to entice the fish.

But all that information doesn’t do justice to their remarkable beauty. A blend of a chestnut front, green back, and dark bluish head is striking and grabs the observers attention before it brings the eye to the striking clarity of the wing pattern. Their wings look like each feather was individually fashioned to form a geometric design highlighted in white.

Unfortunately, according to All About Birds, the Green Heron population decreased by about 50% from 1966 to 2010. The largest threat to their survival is the destruction of their wetland habitat.