Two Different Herons at Sweetwater This Summer

I’ve seen both Green Herons and Black-crowned Night Herons there

Both Green Herons and Black-crowned Night Herons can be found at a number of Tucson area parks now. There they can access water, shelter, and aquatic food. Because they are large birds that perch regularly out in the open, they can be easy to find and then easy to observe. Black-crowned Night Herons are regularly present now at Reid Park, Lakeside Park, Sweetwater Wetlands, Danny Lopez Park and El Rio. They have also been seen this summer at Sam Lena KERP and Fort Lowell Park.

The bird in these photos was seen at Agua Nueva Park, just across the street from Sweetwater Wetlands. In the photo above, it has its back to us. In the photo below, it walked a very short distance along the branch and then turned to face me. Both male and female Black-crowned Night Herons grow long, white, head plumes during the breeding season. Those feather plumes make quite the fashion statement against the Heron’s black back.

Seconds later, I took a few steps to my left to shift the background behind the bird. The Heron hadn’t changed positions, I had! Check out the Heron’s long toes. Those long toes help to keep this bird stable while wading through wet, muddy ponds in search of food. They also help the birds grip and maneuver on the tree branches that Black-crowned Night Herons like to roost on.

A close-up of the photo above gives a nice portrait of this bird. With its neck tucked into its stocky body, the Heron has a hunched look to it. The red eyes reflect the evolutionary changes to their eyes which aid in hunting at dusk, dawn and at night (they are called “Night” Herons). Good low-light vision helps the Heron to better hunt prey in the dark.

Green Herons are much smaller and more slender than their Black-crowned cousins. This Green Heron, seen on another day at Agua Nueva, seemed to be trying to hide from me but I found him anyway!! Besides the obvious color differences, Green Herons only reach up to 18 inches in length. Bird length is measured from head to tail. Black-crowned Night Herons can reach up to 28 inches in length.

Once this Green Heron turned around and stepped over a few inches, I had a better view of him. Green Herons hunt during the day. They too have long toes and feet, serving the same purpose as those of the Black-crowned Night Herons.

Later, the Green Heron perched further out on the branch. There was only blue sky behind it now compared to the background of eucalyptus leaves in earlier views. Green Herons have yellow eyes compared to their ‘cousins’ red eyes and their bill is much longer and more dagger-like.

A close-up of this photo offers a more personal look at this bird. This summer, Green Herons are being found commonly at Sweetwater Wetlands, Danny Lopez Park, and El Rio Preserve. They sometimes are seen at other water spots in the Tucson valley.

For more on local Green Herons, see this nice article at Tucson Bird Alliance.

For more on local Black-crowned Night Herons, see this article at Tucson Bird Alliance.