Bird name:

Green Heron

Butorides Virescens

Order

CICONIIFORMES

Family

Bitterns, Herons and Egrets (Ardeidae)

Code 4

GRHE

Code 6

BUTVIR

ITIS

174793

Breeding Location:

Lakes, Marshes, freshwater, Swamps, Streams, upland, Rivers

Breeding Type:

Monogamous

Breeding Population:

Stable and common

Egg Color:

Pale green or blue green

Number of Eggs:

2 - 7

Incubation Days:

19 - 25

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Sticks and twigs.

Migration:

Some migrate

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General

Green Heron: Small heron with gray-green upperparts. Head, neck and upper breast are chestnut-brown and belly is paler brown. Head has green-black cap with small crest and yellow eyes. Throat is white and neck has white central stripe. Bill is two-toned with dark upper mandible and yellow lower mandible. Legs are yellow. Sexes are similar. Juvenile has white streaks on underparts. Habitually squawks and defecates on take off when startled.

Range and Habitat

Green Heron: Breeds across most of the U.S.; spends winters in the southern U.S. south to Venezuela, Panama, and the West Indies. Preferred habitats include shoreline habitats along rivers, oceans, lakes, and ponds.

Breeding and Nesting

Green Heron: Two to seven pale green or blue green eggs are laid in a flat nest made of sticks and leaves, usually built in a tree near water 10 to 15 feet above the ground. Incubation ranges from 19 to 21 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Green Heron: Diet consists of frogs, fish, snails, tadpoles, crayfish, crabs, crickets, dragonflies, water bugs, small snakes, and mice. Stands motionless with head cocked and neck extended waiting for prey; sometimes dives into the water to catch fish.

Vocalization

Green Heron: Song is a sharp, croaking "qua qua"; utters a piercing shriek when disturbed.

Similar Species

Green Heron: Little Blue Heron is larger and lacks brown head and neck.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Cap

The area on top of the head of the bird.

Crest

Tufts of feathers on the head of the bird.

Lower mandible

The lower part of the bill.

Upper mandible

The upper part of the bill.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America