Green Heron

1/1600s at f11.0, ISO:800, Canon EOS-1D X w/800mm


The Green Heron is a small heron of North and Central America. The habitat of the Green Heron is small wetlands in low-lying areas. The species is most conspicuous during dusk and dawn, and if anything these birds are nocturnal rather than diurnal, preferring to retreat to sheltered areas in daytime. They will feed actively during the day, however, if hungry or provisioning young. They mainly eat small fish, frogs and aquatic arthropods, but may take any invertebrate or vertebrate prey they can catch, including such animals like leeches and mice. Green Herons are seasonally monogamous. The pairs form in the breeding range, after an intense courtship display by the males, which select the nesting sites and fly in front of the female noisily and with puffed-up head and neck plumage. They nest in forest and swamp patches, over water or in plants near water. Nests are a platform of sticks, often in shrubs or trees, sometimes on the ground. Locations in trees are preferred. Rarely, large numbers of these birds congregate in heronries for nesting.
Gilbert Water Ranch, AZ
 
12/30/2016