The Herons

1. The Herons Family Ardeidae Michael Bennett

2. Systematics Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Ciconiiformes Family: Ardeidae Genus: Ardea Butorides Nycticorax Nyctanassa

3. Long, S-shaped neck Heavy, pointed bills Slender legs Characteristics of Herons

4. Neck Folded Legs Tucked Except at take-off In Flight

5. Heron Life History Traits Nest In Trees -Rarely on ground -Rarely far from water Mostly Colonial 2 – 6 pale blue eggs Complex Breeding Displays Territorial esp. in breeding season

6. Heron Life History Traits Cont. Seasonally monogamous -Most breed second year Both sexes care for young -Altricial young Piracy is Common Diet primarily fish -Also invertebrates, insects,and rodents Forage by wading/stalking

7. Populations Then and Now 1800’s –1900’s saw drastic declines Habitat loss Shootings Plume Trade

8. Populations Then and Now Cont. Increases in 1950’s Most pop. stable or increasing -Habitat protection and restoration -Beaver protection

9. Heron Diversity App. 65 species in Ardeidae - With argument and more to come - 13 species in N. America Family divided into four groups (Payne & Risley 1976) Night Herons Day Herons Bitterns Tiger Herons

10. Heron Diversity Cont. Herons are present on every continent (except Antarctica) -Highest diversity in Central and South America

11. Heron Diversity Cont. The oddest of the group: Boat-Billed Herons

12. Heron Diversity Cont. Most colorful(arguably) of the group: Agami Heron (Brazil)

13. Heron Diversity Cont. Many others:

14. Herons in Kentucky Four occur in Kentucky Yellow-Crowned Night Heron Black-Crowned Night Heron Great Blue Heron Green Heron

15. Yellow crown White face patch Obvious head plumes Summer Winter Range maps courtesy of USGS CBC/BBS The Yellow-Crowned Night Heron Nyctanassa violacea Prefers forested wetlands Nocturnal/Crepuscular Relatively Selective

16. Black cap Short neck Single plume Red eye Black-Crowned Night Heron Primarily Nocturnal Cosmopolitan(except Australia) Prefers swamps/marshes Often nests with other species Nycticorax nycticorax

17. Black-Crowned Cont. Feed on a wide variety of foods -Prefers fish Often shot at fish hatcheries

18. summer winter Range maps courtesy of USGS CBC/BBS Black-Crowned Range Found throughout N.A. Range seems to be expanding (Based on CBC/BBS) Found in W. Kentucky Winters into Central America

19. Great Blue Heron Intro. Ardea herodias -Largest heron in N.A. -Wide spread and common -Most widely studied heron -Many subspecies - Up to 20 in the past - Currently around seven -Great white most obvious subspecies

20. Occipital plumes (Not always obvious) Black shoulder patch Identification Bluish-grey in color Grey heron is similar but lives in Europe/Africa

21. Identification Cont. Ardea herodias occidentalis - Great White Heron - Entirely White - Larger than Egrets

22. Range maps courtesy of USGS BBS Great blue summer range

23. Range maps courtesy of USGS CBC Great blue winter range

24. Breeding and Nesting Fresh & brackish water Most often in marsh/swamp - prefers trees Male collects material, female builds nest

25. Breeding and Nesting Cont. Highly territorial when nesting Nest defense by both sexes Bill fencing common Many courtship/defense displays

26. Two – six eggs -Increases with latitude Semi-altricial young -Eyes open, has down Fledge around 80 days -Varies with latitude Eggs and Young Both parents brood/feed young

27. Eggs and Young Cont. • Adults tend young up to 3 weeks after fledge • Foraging skill increases with age (Butler 1991) • Most breed in second spring • Rarely return to natal site

28. Will abandon if disturbed -Less likely later in incubation -appropriate measure limit this -Butler 1992 recommends 300m buffer Management Concerns Habitat Loss -Cont. restoration/protection esp. pacific coastal Highly adaptable to varying habitat (Powell et al. 1981) Will adapt to human presents

29. Management Concerns Cont. • Shootings common in past • Federally protected • Attitudes have changed • Varity of control methods • Netting most effective • Pesticides effect success(ddt/dde) • Levels currently dropping • Home use is a problem • Better testing of chemical pesticides and herbicides is needed

30. Green Heron Intro One of the smallest herons Most common heron in it’s range (and possibly N.A.) Undergone many taxonomic and name changes Butorides virescens Green-backed heron Blue-backed heron Little green heron

31. Dark cap Blue-green back Chestnut neck and head Identification Crow like in Flight

32. Identification Cont. Juveniles Can be confused with American/Least Bittern Larger than least American Bittern Smaller than American Least Bittern Green Heron

33. Range maps courtesy of USGS BBS Breeding Range

34. Map courtesy of Cornell Ornithological Laboratory Green Heron Range As far south as Ecuador As far north as Vancouver Common breeder in Ky

35. Habitat and Foraging More likely to inhabit streams Stand still or stalks prey Typically Grabs rather spears prey One of the few tool using birds

36. Habitat and Foraging

37. Breeding and Nesting • Usually solitary nester • Will nest in loose colonies • Seasonally monogamous • Aerial and non-aerial breeding displays • Includes vocalizations • Territorial (less so than others) • Male selects nest site and begins construction • Female finishes nest while male brings material

38. Eggs and Young • Clutch size 3 – 5 • Both parents incubate • “relief ceremony” when switching • Includes bill rubbing and preening • Can be multi-brooded in southern range • Fledge in 16 days • Flightless until 21st day

39. Eggs and Young • Young swim well after fledging • Est. 30-35 days until independent of parents (Davis & Kushlan 1994) • 1 – 2 yrs until first breeding

40. Management Concerns • Habitat loss • Esp. ephemeral wetlands • Identification of semi-permanent wetland essential • Often shot (more so in the past) • Considered a pest at fish hatcheries • Current regulations limit lethal control measures • River usage • Limits heron usage • Can lead to nest failures • Underscores the need to protect smaller inaccessible wetlands

41. Much more research is needed in the fields of: Post fledgling survival Habitat uses Population dynamics Effects of disturbance Herons are diverse and complex group that span the globe Their future health depends primarily on habitat protection and restoration

42. Works Cited • To be continued

43. Questions