Green Heron (Butorides virescens) a.k.a. Green-backed Heron

Photos by BarrytheBirder

Although I am particularly partial to the Great Blue Heron, my next favourite heron is the Green Heron.   If for no other reason, it is the heron I see most often, other than the Great Blue, in the area of southern Ontario where I live.   I see them nearby in ponds, marshes and wooded creeks, where they jerk their short tails up and down as they stalk the water's edge.

They are small (18") and dark, with orange-yellow legs.   They have a chestnut neck and dark back glossed with green or blue.  Their black crown feathers are sometimes raised in a bushy crest.

Generally solitary, the Green Heron will be found in a variety of habitats and even perches in trees often.

They are found across the U.S.A., southern Canada and in Mexico.

Although known historically as the Green Heron, they are now commonly known as the Green-backed Heron.

They winter along coasts from Oregon and Massachusetts south to South America.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder