The Three Herons of Arizona

Summary: Our desert areas of Arizona are home to three full time herons. Join Cheryl and Kiersten as they talk about these three fascinating birds and tell you where you can see them.

 

For our hearing impaired listeners, a transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean.

 

Show Notes:

www.allaboutbirds.org

Personal observations and experiences.

 

Transcript

Cheryl: Intro

Arizona is known for its’s dry heat, and desert landscapes but, this state has waterways natural, and man -made that have attracted a bird family known for its skilled fishing, and water wading, Herons.  Kiersten and I are going to be talking about just three different herons that live Arizona year-round.  Our state is host to several other lesser known herons that migrate here in the summer to breed.  The first one is one of my favorite birds to watch -the Green Heron.

Kiersten: Green Heron

         This small and stocky bird with a dagger-like bill, and a thick neck that is often drawn into their body.  Adults have a deep green back and crown, and a chestnut neck and breast.  Juveniles are small and compact but they are browner overall, with pale streaking on the neck and spots on the wings with a dark cap.

         This small heron usually hunts from shore rather than by wading like other larger herons, so green heron bird is often over looked by some because it is tucked away or hunched on slender yellow legs at the water’s edge, often hidden behind a tangle of leaves.  The green heron is well aware of its surroundings and knows when it has been discovered.  If you are lucky to have it tolerate your presence then you will see it crouch down patiently to surprise a fish with a snatch and grab of its dagger-like bill.

         The green heron is one of the world’s few tool-using bird species.  You may learn more on this subject by listening to our Birds and Tools podcast.  Green herons often create fishing lures with bread crusts, insects, or feathers by dropping these items on the surface of the water to entice small fish.  Occasionally, green herons will dive for deep-water prey and need to swim back to shore.

         Green herons are year-round residents in Arizona, and are found along inland wetlands here in Arizona that would be lakes, ponds, riverways and other wet habitats such as golf courses with trees and shrubs to provide secluded nest sites.  Green herons eat a variety of small fish, insects, spiders, crustaceans, amphibians, reptiles and small rodents.

         When it is time to pair up for breeding season the male selects a secluded site within his territory and starts the nest, but once he finds a mate, the male heron will turn the construction over to the female.  The nest is made of long, thin sticks that the female fashions in a home about 12 inches in diameter.  Both sexes brood and feed the chicks, which may stay with their parents for more than a month after leaving the nest, as they learn to forage.  Green herons are territorial and will defend their nest site. 

         The overall population of these herons has declined by 51% due to habitat loss and contaminates in wetlands that it thrives in.

 

Cheryl: Black-crowned Night Heron

         Black-crowned Night Heron is a stocky and compact bird that often tucks its neck into its body creating a hunch backed look.  Adults have a black cap and back which contrasts with its whitish to pale gray belly and gray wings.  Juveniles are brown and streaky overall with a pale yellowish bill.

         These birds are most active at night or at dusk giving them a ghostly appearance as they come flapping out from their daytime roosts to forage along the waterways they inhabit.

         These are social birds that breed in colonies of stick nests usually built over water.  They live along waterways of fresh, salt or brackish wetlands such as streams, rivers lakes, ponds, lagoons, and canals here in Arizona, and are the widespread heron in the world.

         Night herons are opportunistic feeders that may eat many kinds of terrestrial, fresh water and marine animals.  Their diets consist of leeches, earthworms, insects, crayfish, clams, mussels, fish, amphibians, lizards, snakes, turtles, rodents, birds and eggs.  They avoid eating during the day so as not to compete with longer-legged heron species.

         When it comes time to start a family, the male chooses a nest site in a tree or in cattails usually in an area safe from predators.  Night herons are colony nesters, often dozens nest together in an area. 

The male starts building a platform nest out of sticks, twigs and woody vegetation, and when he finds a mate, he will pass the job of nest building to her just like with the green herons.  The male and female work together to provide for the family until the fledglings disperse out into the world.

         It is surprising that this bird’s population is stable across most of the U.S. since it lives along the waters edge which exposes the bird to contaminates in the water as well as development and draining of its watery habitat.  Night herons are tolerant of disturbances such as traffic, and other human activities so they are especially useful for revealing environmental deterioration in urban environments.

Kiersten: Great Blue Heron

         This stately heron often stands motionless as it scans for prey or wades belly deep with long deliberate steps.  These birds may move slowly, but Great Blue herons can strike like lightning to grab a fish or snap up a gopher.  The adults are very large and tall, with a long neck.  They are grayish-blue overall with a long orangish-yellow bill.  Adults have a black crown and black head plumes.  Juveniles are grayish-blue with pale belly, dark streaking on neck, and its bill is long and dusky colored.  Despite their size Great Blue Heron adults only weigh about 5-6 pounds.  This is in part to their hollow bones- a feature all birds share.  Another interesting fact is the Great Blue herons have excellent night vision so no one is safe when it is on the hunt.

         These large herons live in both fresh water and salt water habitats, and also forage in grasslands and agricultural fields, where they stalk frogs and small mammals.  Here in Arizona, Great Blue Herons may be found along rivers and streams, lakes, canals, golf course ponds, agricultural and irrigation fields.  Great Blue herons have benefited from the reintroduction and recovery of the beaver population in North America because of the wetlands these large water engineers create.

         In flight, the Great Blue heron folds it’s neck into an “S” shape and trails its long legs behind, dangling them as it prepares to land.  When watching this bird fly with its slow, deep wingbeats is like watching a pterodactyl flying out of over a primordial swamp. 

         Great Blue herons nest mainly in trees, but will also nest on the ground, or on bushes, on mangroves, and on structures such as duck blinds, channel markers, or artificial nest platforms.  These large birds are colony nesters like the Black-crowned Night Heron.  Nest are generally made out of sticks gathered by the male.  The female will line the nest with plant material such as pine needles, moss, reeds, or dry grass.  Colonies of Great Blue herons can get quite large with up to 50 or more pairs in an area.  These colonies once established can last for over 50 years.  Great Blue Herons have elaborate courtship and pair-bonding displays that include ritualized greetings, stick transfers and more.

         Because the Great Blue Heron depends on wetlands for feeding and on relatively undisturbed sites for breeding, they are vulnerable to habitat loss and human impacts such as traffic, logging, motorboats, chemical pollutants or other causes of reduced water quality.

Cheryl: Closing

         Today Kiersten and shared with interesting facts and descriptions about three amazing shore/wading birds that reside in Arizona.  The Great Blue Heron was the first bird that opened me up to the majesty and marvel of the bird world.  I was 8 years old, on a very early morning bird walk along the saltwater marshes of the Long Island sound in New York.  It was sunrise, there was a mist rising off the water, then out into the open moves this huge bird as tall as I was.  I still can see it all these year later.

The Black-crowned Night heron is an intense discovery when you are out birding along the water’s edge.  It is rarely flustered by humans so I have many times come across it just as it is about to snag a meal.  This bird tolerance for people in its space is one of the reasons its population is more stable than the green heron. 

Last but one least, the green heron elusive behavior of skulking among the grasses and reeds as water laps at its feet make it a joyous discovery when spotted.  It is reluctant to have an audience so it is rare to get any really time to watch it, but it one of my favorites to look for when I am out birding at the Gilbert Water Ranch.  The green heron croaking like call makes it even more of an oddity and worth the search.

Hopefully, this has intrigued some of our listeners if not all to get up and out to water this summer to wade along with these herons who know just where to find the best fish.