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Birds of Zihuatanejo

CLASS AVES

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Birds (Class Aves)

-Pelicans, Herons, Ibises, and Allies (Order Pelecaniformes)

-Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns (Family Ardeidae)

-Typical Herons and Egrets (Subfamily Ardeinae)

-Green-backed Herons (Genus Butorides)

-Green Heron (Butorides virescens)


A relatively small, dark, compact, crested wading bird, the Green Heron is a common species of wetland thickets. With a blue-green back, rusty-colored neck and dark cap. The bill is dark with a long, sharp point. Usually in a crouched position, partly concealed in vegetation, waiting patiently for prey. Sometimes they drop food, insects, or other small objects on the water's surface to attract fish, making them one of the few known tool-using species. They eat mainly small fish but other items include grasshoppers, snakes, earthworms, snails, and small rodents.

Green Heron - Juvenile

Butorides virescens

Diet

  • Primarily small fish, frogs, tadpoles, crayfish, shrimp, aquatic insects, and other aquatic invertebrates.

  • Also eats small snakes, lizards, and occasionally rodents.

  • Hunts by standing motionless or stalking slowly along the water's edge and is one of the few birds known to use bait (such as insects, feathers, or twigs) to lure fish within striking distance.

Range

  • Found from southern Canada through the United States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America.

  • Widespread throughout Mexico, including the Zihuatanejo region, where it occurs as a year-round resident and is augmented by wintering northern birds.

  • Inhabits marshes, ponds, rivers, streams, mangroves, estuaries, swamps, canals, and wooded wetlands.

Male / Female

  • Male: Glossy greenish-black cap, dark green back, rich chestnut neck, and gray underparts; slightly larger with longer ornamental plumes during the breeding season.

  • Female: Similar in appearance but slightly smaller and duller, with less extensive breeding plumes.

  • Sexes are difficult to distinguish in the field except by subtle size differences or when observed together during breeding.

Size

  • Length: 41–46 cm (16–18 in)

  • Wingspan: 64–68 cm (25–27 in)

  • Weight: 210–250 g

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