Green Heron

Description:

This bird is relatively small for a heron. That pictured was about 15 inches tall, with its neck tucked into its body. They are colorful birds when seen up close. It has a brown breast with mottled white markings. The upper wings and back are a brownish blue, turning to a deeper dark blue during mating season. The beak is yellow on the lower sides and dark on top, as pictured.

Habitat:

This bird was spotted in a waterfall/pond area in the Desert Springs Marriott in Palm Desert, CA on a golf course. The surrounding area is urban, situated on the south edge of the Mojave Desert in Southern California.

Notes:

I spent some time watching and photographing this bird as it was fishing the pond. It spent as long as 8 to 10 minutes frozen in place at the edge of the pond (in Mannequin Challenge mode), and would then lunge its head forward into the water nabbing a fish. See the 2nd, 3rd and 4th photos above. It did not miss one time as I watched. Per some online articles, green herons are one of the few birds that use tools to fish. They drop lures into the water such as insects to attract small fish. This particular bird was very patient, and pretty good at snatching fish…no lures needed.