Green Heron stares searching for next meal cover photo - 121853115

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Although secretive and skulking while creeping slowly through its wetland habitat, the green heron Butorides virescens is actually one of North Americaâ€™s most recognizable wetland birds. So named for its glossy green cap and back, this relatively small, compact, crested heron has black wings washed with blue, grey-brown spots or stripes on the lower-neck and breast, and chestnut-brown patches on the side of the short neck. The wing feathers are edged in pale brown, the tail is blue-green above and greyish-white below, and the feet and short legs are greenish-yellow. Standing alone at the waterâ€™s edge or on a branch just above the water, the green heron waits patiently for its prey before driving its head into the water and catching its target in its pincer-like bill. Feeding primarily on fish, the green heron is one of very few tool-using bird species and uses a variety of baits and lures, including insects, earthworms, twigs or feathers, to entice fish to where it can grab them. This versatile, intelligent predator has a rather large bill for its size and, as such, can feed on a variety of other large prey, including frogs, reptiles, small mammals and crustaceans. It feeds by day and night in shallow waters, often as little as five centimetres deep, and tends to walk between hunting sites in a slow, methodical, deliberate fashion with the body crouched.