Green Heron

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Green Herons are solitary birds that crouch on logs and branches in the shadows along wooded streams and ponds, waiting for a fish. And they’re real fisherman, too, sometimes dropping a twig or insect on the surface of the water to bait their prey.

They are a small, stocky heron with a long, straight bill, rufous chest, blue-black crown and bright yellow eyes. You have to look hard for the green on the Green Heron; it’s more of a subtle bluish-green sheen sometimes discernible on their backs. Juveniles have a streaked neck similar to the American Bittern but their color is darker overall.

In addition to fish, Green Herons will make a meal of crustaceans, frogs, lizards and insects.

Although solitary most of the time, Green Herons will nest in small, loose colonies in wetlands. Their nests are a basket of sticks built in a small tree or shrub overlooking the water. They lay three to six pale green eggs.