Wildlife Costa Rica – 8 Truths About Green Herons

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heron Wildlife Costa Rica 8 Truths About Green Herons

The Green Heron is a small bird (44 cm.) that likes to stalk it’s pray. Native populations can be found all over Costa Rica as well as in most of Central America. They are quite common in habitats that go along water bodies such as mangroves, beaches and rivers.

1. Adults have a glossy, greenish-black cap, a greenish back and wings that are grey-black grading into green or blue.

2. They are carnivorous and mainly eat small fish, frogs and aquatic arthropods, but may take any invertebrate or vertebrate prey they can catch.

3. The oldest known wild green heron was captured when it was almost 8 years old.

4. This species is more nocturnal rather than diurnal, they spend the day in shelters.

heron2 300x241 Wildlife Costa Rica 8 Truths About Green Herons

5. Green herons lay 2 to 5 bluish white eggs. After the last egg has been laid, both parents incubate for about 19-25 days.

6. The young sometimes start to leave the nest at 16 days of age, but are not fully independent until 30-35 days old.

7. Human activities have had their effect on the heron. Historically, green herons were sometimes hunted for food. Also fish hatcheries kill green herons to regulate their populations and prevent them eating their young fish.

8. These migratory birds appear in their breeding ranges at the same time they did 100 years ago.

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