Green Heron
From Costa Rica Travel Guide: Vacation and Travel tips
Green Heron
The Green Heron is aptly named for its lustrous, metallic dark green back and wings. The adult has a black cap and crest, chestnut neck and shoulders with a white streak running down the center of the breast, yellow eyes, and yellow legs. They also have a flat crest of a darker green, and brownish maroon on the face and sides of the neck. Males and females have similar plumage, although the males are relatively larger. Both have small, robust bodies with long legs and a short bushy neck. The adult Green Heron is 13.8 inches – 18.9 inches in length (43cm), and weighs 4.8 ounces – 8.8 ounces (135-250 g). The wingspan is 20.5 inches – 23.6 inches. The juvenile Green Heron is similar to the adult, but the plumage on the back is dark brownish and less iridescent than the adult. In southwestern Costa Rica and Panama, individuals may be a solid brown.
Range/Migration
The Green Heron is widely distributed across tropical and temperate regions. It is both a permanent resident and northern migrant, that is, it’s mostly a permanent resident on the Caribbean side and in the central part of the country, but migrants arrive in September in the northern Caribbean region of Costa Rica. Look for Green Heron in Caribbean lowlands along the edges of canals and ponds in Tortuguero National Park, Puerto Viejo en Sarapiquí, Guapiles, and La Selva Biological Station. This bird is plentiful in lowlands of both slopes, particularly on the Pacific side. In the Pacific lowlands, it may be seen at lagoons in Puntarenas, Carara National Park and Palo Verde National Park, Río Tárcoles estuary, San Isidro city lagoons, Manuel Antonio National Park, and the lagoons near the San Vito airport. The full range of this bird is Southern Canada to northern Argentina; Africa, Malaysia, India, Galápagos Islands, and Australia.
Habitat/Foraging
The Green Heron is found along the edges of many waterways where slow/still water meets thick vegetation such as streams, ponds, marshes, and mangroves. The Heron is capable of adapting to many kinds of aquatic habitat; it is quite agile and able to move easily through dense plants that grow in or near water. They can be found at elevations from 0 to 1,850 m and may be the most widespread water bird in the country. Basically, these birds can be found wherever shallow fresh, brackish, and salt water provides an opportunity for capturing small fishes, shrimp, insects, and frogs. These birds forage alone by remaining completely still in water and waiting for prey to cross its path, when it strikes with its bill.
Breeding
Green Herons breed in pairs and occasionally in colonies where there are dense populations. They build loose platform nests in trees or other vegetation hanging 1 to 5 meters up over the water. The female will normally lay 2 pastel bluish green eggs per clutch; birds in more northern populations lay 4 to 5 eggs at a time, and some suggest that clutches with as many as 6 eggs may be laid by more than one female.
