Green Heron
Butorides virescens (Linnaeus, 1758)
HR
GRBHE
1070
Family: Pelecaniformes > Ardeidae
An extremely rare visitor from North America, the habit of this small, dark, heron of ejecting a stream of white defecation as it flies away, leads to alternative names such as "shite-polk" and "chalk-line".
One of the few tool-using birds, Green Heron commonly drops bait (such as bread crusts, insects, twigs, or feathers) onto the surface of the water and grabs the small fish that are attracted.
With just a handful of records, it perhaps no surprise that a long-staying individual at the Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall – which stayed from 6 October to 1 December 2010 – attracted crowds of birders.
Select a topic for more facts and statistics about the Green Heron
SEASONALITY
BTO RECORDS
Identification
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Our interactive online courses are a great way to develop your bird identification skills, whether you're new to the hobby or a competent birder looking to hone your abilities.
Browse training coursesStatus and Trends
Population size and trends and patterns of distribution based on BTO surveys and atlases with data collected by BTO volunteers.
CONSERVATION STATUS
This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.
| Schedule 1 license required (to disturb) | No |
| Birds Directive Annex 1 | No |
POPULATION SIZE
We have no population estimates for this scarce species.
| BOU Category | A |
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First Record
|
Cornwall, 1889  |
DISTRIBUTION
This species is a rare vagrant and was recorded during Bird Atlas 2007–11 as shown on the map.
More from the Atlas Mapstore.
Occupied 10-km squares in UK
| No. occupied in winter | 2 |
| % occupied in winter | 0.07 |
DISTRIBUTION CHANGE
This vagrant is too rarely reported to map distribution change.
| % change in range in winter (1981–84 to 2007–11) | --100% |
Movement
Information about movement and migration based on online bird portals (e.g. BirdTrack), Ringing schemes and tracking studies.
RINGING RECOVERIES
View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report.
Biology
Lifecycle and body size information about Green Heron, including statistics on nesting, eggs and lifespan based on BTO ringing and nest recording data.
PRODUCTIVITY & NESTING
Sample sizes are too small to report Productivity and Nesting statistics for this species.
BIOMETRICS
Sample sizes are too small to report Biometrics for this species.
Feather measurements and photos on featherbase
CODES & CLASSIFICATION
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Field Codes
|
2-letter: HR | 5-letter code: GRBHE | Euring: 1070 |
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