Black Heron … On a mission for food ….

Black Heron (Egretta ardesiaca) also known as the Black Egret.

A black heron on a mission to find food…. I don’t know how many of you remember my post on his hunting technique… so I add a quick link to it. CLICK HERE OR HERE AND IF YOU LIKE HERE.

This little guy was very active in the dirty water shooting here and there looking for a spot of food… here are a few of my captures….

The yellow feet still fascinate me and I found this on the net… “This is a specialized Egretta, well adapted to its peculiar feeding behaviour. For example its flight feathers are particularly broad and its plumes also are shaped to help complete the closed canopy. Its distinctively coloured feet are similar to other egrets, but interestingly unlike the other species, the Black Heron’s legs do not change colour in the breeding season, suggesting that dark legs are important in the functioning of the Canopy behaviour….

I love the plumage on this bird… the long feathers on the back are a special feature… all part of the canopy when fishing…

and now for the canopy fishing position…

This was a very well behaved bird…. no pooping in Bulldogs face…

Little Egret.. Black Heron.. A Life Lesson…

I’ll let them speak for themselves….

Black Heron, an Interesting Hunter.

Black Heron (Egretta ardesiaca) also known as the Black Egret.

The Black Heron I’ve been trying to capture on film for years.. it has the most spectacular fishing technique I’ve ever seen…  it uses its wings like an umbrella, and uses the shade it creates, to attract fish, this interesting hunting method’s called canopy feeding.

It is a medium-sized (42.5–66 cm in height), black-plumaged heron with yellow legs and feet. It is found south of the Sahara Desert, and prefers shallow open waters, such as the edges of freshwater lakes and ponds. It may also be found in marshes, river edges, and seasonally flooded grasslands.

Some Black Herons feed solitarily, while others feed in groups of up to 50 individuals, 200 being the highest number reported. The Black Heron feeds by day but especially prefers the time around sunset. The primary food is small fish, but it’ll also eat aquatic insects, crabs and amphibians.

Here is a short time line of a hunt……..