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Green Heron

Butorides virescens

Description:

Measurements of both male and female: Length: 16.1–18.1 in or 41–46 cm Wingspan : 25.2–26.8 in or 64–68 cm Weight: 8.5 oz or 240 g

Habitat:

Breeds in swampy thickets. Forages in swamps, along creeks and streams, in marshes, ponds, lake edges, and pastures. Winters mostly in coastal areas, especially mangrove swamps.

Notes:

This Green Heron spent the evening fishing and frogging. This is a capture of it catching a frog. Green Heron diet consists of primarily of small fish, and frogs. Other cool facts: The Green Heron is one of the few tool-using birds. It commonly drops bait onto the surface of the water and grabs the small fish that are attracted. It uses a variety of baits and lures, including crusts of bread, insects, earthworms, twigs, or feathers. The Green Heron is part of a complex of small herons that sometimes are considered one species. When lumped, they are called Green-backed Heron. When split, they are the Green Heron, the widespread Striated Heron, and the Galapagos Heron.

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37 Comments (1–25)

williefromwi
williefromwi 10 years ago

Thank you Yeskay, Sam10, and Irinapi for your kind words and comments.

yeskay
yeskay 10 years ago

Superb photography..

Sam10
Sam10 10 years ago

Unfortunate for the Frog! But a great shot none the less!

williefromwi
williefromwi 10 years ago

Thanks EnvUnlimited

williefromwi
williefromwi 10 years ago

A belated thank you to everyone for your comments.

Caleb Steindel
Caleb Steindel 10 years ago

spectacular~

Maria dB
Maria dB 10 years ago

What a great capture!

Mona Pirih
Mona Pirih 10 years ago

Cool... !!! Nice photo.... " Please let me go bird !!! "

JennytheTurtle
JennytheTurtle 11 years ago

Amazing photo!!! Great moment :D

Sachin Zaveri
Sachin Zaveri 11 years ago

Great shot!!!

junipurr
junipurr 11 years ago

Beautiful bird, and interesting reading about it too, about the tool using. There was a green heron here, a few weeks ago, they even wrote about it in the local paper, but I never got to see it.

Josh Asel
Josh Asel 11 years ago

Hell ya man! way to go! poor freakin frog.

Gerardo Aizpuru
Gerardo Aizpuru 11 years ago

Wow amazing capture Willie, sorry for the frog ( nature balance ) :)

Ricardo Salgueiro
Ricardo Salgueiro 11 years ago

Amazing Photo!!

Reza Hashemizadeh
Reza Hashemizadeh 11 years ago

Super Spotting Wille !

williefromwi
williefromwi 11 years ago

Cropped photo added

williefromwi
williefromwi 11 years ago

Thanks for the wonderful comments, shrikalk.

AshishNimkar thanks I was blessed to pull this shot off. the sun had set and lighting was terrible.

Leuba, I understand why it could be hard to watch and can cause one emotion pain. It was hard for me to watch when I photographed the Cooper's hawk take the life and slowly eat the northern flicker. ( One of my other spottings).

shrikalk
shrikalk 11 years ago

what a capture...

Ashish Nimkar
Ashish Nimkar 11 years ago

Great picture...nice grabbed with timing...

Leuba Ridgway
Leuba Ridgway 11 years ago

Great photo and information ! but can't help feeling sorry for the frog..

williefromwi
williefromwi 11 years ago

Thanks Brandon, I have been a part of Project Noah for less then a month. There are over a quarter of a million spottings on this sight to date. I am rather tickled that I am even being noticed.

BrandonBlount
BrandonBlount 11 years ago

Amazing Capture! I don't know how I didn't see this one before!

williefromwi
williefromwi 11 years ago

Thanks Jolly Ibañez I appreciate you taking the time to both see my spotting, and comment as well.

Jolly Ibañez
Jolly Ibañez 11 years ago

What a beauty.

williefromwi
williefromwi 11 years ago

Thank you AntónioGinjaGinja, and SatyenMehta, I appreciate your kind words, and I will need to find the time to look at each of your spottings too. This sight is mind boggling, sensory overload sometimes.

williefromwi
Spotted by
williefromwi

Wisconsin, USA

Spotted on Aug 29, 2011
Submitted on May 17, 2012

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