Green heron

The Green Heron is a small heron of North and Central America. It was long considered conspecific with its sister species the Striated Heron , and together they were called Green-backed Heron. Birds of the nominate subspecies are extremely rare vagrants to western Europe; individuals from the Pacific coast of North America may similarly stray as far as Hawaii.

Picture of the Green heron has been licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution.
Original source: Green Heron
Author: Len Blumin from Mill Valley, California, United States

The Green heron is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

The Green Heron (Butorides virescens) is a small heron of North and Central America. It was long considered conspecific with its sister species the Striated Heron (Butorides striata), and together they were called "Green-backed Heron". Birds of the nominate subspecies (no matter which taxonomic arrangement is preferred) are extremely rare vagrants to western Europe; individuals from the Pacific coast of North America may similarly stray as far as Hawaii. More

A small, stocky wading bird, the Green Heron is common in wet spots across much of North America. It can be difficult to see as it stands motionless waiting for small fish to approach within striking range, but it frequently announces its presence by its loud squawking. More

Green HeronThe green heron is sometimes called the green-backed heron. It is a small heron that is about the size of a large crow. It is a foot and a half to two feet in length. The green heron has a dark head with a small black crest. Its back and wings are dark gray-green to dark gray-blue. Its neck is rust colored. It has a dark bill and its legs are orange or yellow. More

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. More

The solitary Green Heron usually forages from a perch, where it stands with its body lowered and stretched out horizontally, ready to thrust its bill at unsuspecting prey. One of the few birds known to use tools, the Green Heron will attract prey with bait (feathers, small sticks, or berries) that it drops into the water. When out in the open, it commonly flicks its tail nervously and raises and lowers its crest. More

Green Heron Range MapView dynamic map of eBird sightings Field MarksHelp - * AdultPopOutZoom In Adult * © Marie Read * ImmaturePopOutZoom In Immature * © J.R. More

Green Heron Farm is located 3 miles from the Village of Woodstock in the heart of the scenic Hudson Valley. 2009 marked the 30th anniversary of Green Heron Farm, providing boarding and riding instruction to the equine community of the Mid Hudson Valley. We provide quality instruction suited to every level of rider, beginners through advanced, including dressage, jumping and pleasure riding. We work with both children and adults. More

The Green Heron is a small wading bird with a long neck, green-black cap, short chestnut face (on sides) and neck, deep dark green upperparts and dark underparts, yellow to deep orange eyes and greenish-yellow legs. The female is similar to the male except smaller. This bird is 17-22" in length with a wingspan of 25-26". The Green Heron is the smallest North American heron and can be found along rivers, seas lakes and ponds. More

Green herons are small and stocky, with legs that are relatively short, compared to other herons. Their body length ranges from 41 to 46 centimeters. Adults have a glossy greenish-black cap and back, wings that are black grading into green and/or blue on the edges, and a grey underbelly. The bill of a green heron is dark with a long, sharp point and the legs are orange. Female adults tend to be smaller, with duller and lighter plumage than that seen in males, particularly in the breeding season. More

solitary green heron" in June, "although," as she says, "possibly his mate may have been an unseen witness. Backward and forward, with queer little hops, he pranced first on one foot and then on the other. . . . The effect is as ludicrous as though a long legged, dignified D. D. were to pause in his learned discourse and execute a double shuffle." Nesting.-The green heron nests singly or in colonies. More

DESCRIPTION: The green heron (Butorides virescens) is one of the smallest members of the heron family, standing 16-20 inches tall with a wing span of 25-27 inches and weighing an average of 8 ounces. Sexes are similar with the female being slightly smaller than the male. The green heron has a dark colored bill that is relatively long for its small stocky body, and when in flight appears crow like, at a distance. More

Description: The Green Heron is a stocky crow-sized bird that is relatively short-legged, usually has its neck tucked in so it appears to be short-necked and short-tailed. Their back and wings are slate green to slate blue. Their crown is black, their neck is chestnut with a white chin and a white center stripe, and their legs are orange-yellow. The juvenile heron, or one that is about a year old or less, will have a lot of whitish neck streaks. More

The Green Heron carries a very unique coloring in its feathers and seen in the right light, the shimmering green is a highlight for any birder. Identification This crow-sized heron reaches lengths of 56 centimeters and can be as wide as 66 centimeters. Their white fore-neck and belly clash with their grey wings and back which carry the iridescent green tinge, which gives this bird its name. More

two nests of the Green Heron on one of the Florida Keys, close to some of Ardea rufescens and A. coerulea. Now and then a dozen or more of their nests are found on a bunch of vines in the middle of a pond, and placed within two or three feet of the water; while in other cases, they place their tenements on the highest branches of tall cypresses. More

Green Heron Inn - Life in Kennebunkport = A journal of life and events at the Green Heron Inn, a bed and breakfast in Kennebunkport. Monday, June 18, 2007 - Winged visitors at the Green Heron Inn Spring brought a flurry of winged visitors to the Green Heron Inn. After the bufflehead ducks and red-breasted mergansers had left us at the end of winter, our spring and summer birds arrived. More

Distribution of the Green Heron in North and Middle America. A relatively small, dark, compact, crested wading bird, the Green Heron is a common species of wetland thickets throughout much of North America. Although shy and retiring, it is a familiar sight to those spending time out of doors. Careful observers can see it stalking slowly through the water, perched quietly atop a branch, or as a dark form flying with slow wingbeats through the gathering dusk. More

- Green Heron! And wouldn’t you know it, I was right. The Green Heron (Butorides virescens) is a spectacular species familiar to anyone who pays attention to the places where water meets land. There are so many impressive aspects to this handsome heron. One could dwell on how convoluted its family tree is… the Butorides complex, as it’s called, is surprisingly complex. More

Green HeronGreen Heron One of the smallest and more richly colored wading birds, Green Herons cut a striking figure as they stand poised above the waters of ponds and marshes, waiting to strike at prey. The species is especially notable for its remarkable feeding habits, which include the fabrication and use of bait to attract fish, as well as for the ongoing controversy surrounding its taxonomic status and relationships with similar species. More

Now these are not pictures that I took of the green heron that I saw today. He was not in a very good spot to take a pic, I would have had to shoot into the sun or wade through a pond with out my hip waders, so I did not waste the space n my card. Everything is starting to green up here but it is not close to being this lush yet. These pics where taken at the Maplewood Nature Center back in August of last year. More

Green Heron The Green Heron is a small heron, around the size of a crow. It spends much of its time hunting around ponds or rivers in the muddy areas, where it will look for frogs or fish, moving cautiously and snapping its bill quickly. More

The green heron is a bird with many aliases. In various parts of the country it is known as "whitepoke", "chalkline", "fly-up-the-creek" and "green bittern." It is probably the best known of all herons and is often seen around the Colonial area during the warm weather months. In the winter, the awkward and slow-flying bird moves to warmer climates such as Central and South America. More

Discussion The Green Heron is rather solitary, feeding alone or in pairs. A wary bird, it erects its short crest, straightens its neck, and nervously flicks its short tail when alarmed. It is often first noticed when it flushes unexpectedly from the edge of the water and flies off uttering its sharp call. More

The Green Heron Inn, one of Kennebunkport's historic Bed and Breakfast Inns, is located on Ocean Avenue, in one of the town's most charming neighborhoods. It sits adjacent to an estuarine cove, near the mouth of the Kennebunk river and just around the bend from President George Bush's vacation home on Walkers Point. Kennebunkport Maine Bed and Breakfast Lodging Inn Kennebunkport is one of Maine's most picturesque coastal villages. More

Green Heron by Alison Sheehey © 1998 Description: 15-22" Adults have a chestnut head and sides. Crown is greenish/black sometimes forming shaggy crest, a white streak down throat and underparts. Bill dark above, yellow below. Short dull yellow legs except male high breeding legs bright orange. Blue-gray back and wings. Voice: Loud skouwp when flushed from hiding. Also makes a guk, guk, guk call. In flight the call is a softer skouwp or a keeyou. More

Picture of Butorides virescens above has been licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution.
Original source: matt knoth from San Francisco, yesicannibus Author: matt knoth from San Francisco, yesicannibus Permission: Some rights reserved
Order : Ciconiiformes
Family : Ardeidae
Genus : Butorides
Species : virescens
Authority : (Linnaeus, 1758)