"Green-backed heron" is a collective term for certain herons. Small and compact among herons, these birds often feature green plumage rare among the Ardeidae , in particular on the back, wings and scapulars.

They were formerly believed to make up a single species Butorides striata, but are now treated as three largely allopatric species:

These herons are tool-using animals. They are regularly seen picking up objects to use as a fishing lure, attracting prey fish.[1]

Footnotes

  1. Norris (1975), Boswall (1983), Walsh et al. (1985), Robinson (1994)

References

  • Boswall, J. (1983): Tool-using and related behavior in birds: more notes. Avicultural Magazine 89: 94-108.
  • Norris, D. (1975): Green Heron (Butorides virescens) uses feather lure for fishing. American Birds 29: 652–654.
  • Robinson, S.K. (1994): Use of bait and lures by Green-backed herons in Amazonian Peru. Wilson Bulletin 106(3): 569-571
  • Walsh, J.F.; Grunewald, J. & Grunewald, B. (1985): Green-backed herons (Butorides striatus) possibly using a lure and using apparent bait. J. Ornithol. 126: 439–442.
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