The Green Heron is hardly green at all, but has a green tint reflected from the black as a result of its feather structure. This diminutive heron is with us year round and can often be seen at water’s edge, standing on floating debris, or on a low limb. While its legs are short, its neck is relatively long. It can be extended instantaneously to seize a small fish or other creature or to gain a better view of its surroundings or potential prey.
This is a bird of small bodies of water and a bird that regularly uses the same hunting area day after day – along the edges of a small stream or pond – and preferably areas with shrubs and trees that provide it with shelter and hunting perches. Long ago the Green Heron earned a nickname –“Fly-Up-the-Creek” -- from hunters who regularly did their hunting along small creeks. As a hunter approached, a Green Heron would suddenly – and sometimes noisily – take off and fly up the creek. It wouldn’t go far, but when the hunter continued up the creek, the Green Heron would again “fly up the creek”.Again and again the bird would do this-- then it would disappear – returning to its original site.
The Green Heron also earned a second colloquial name among hunters: “Shite- Poke”. When it takes off due to the approach of a potential predator, it defecates – to lighten its “load” for the get-away!
Green Heron – well camouflaged to blend into its environment
