308 



GREEN HERON. 



Ardea virescens. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Length about eighteen inches; extent of wings about twenty- 

 six; bill rather stout, about two and a half inches long, and 

 about half an inch longer than tarsus (ankle). 



Adult in Summer. — Top of head, and lengthened crest glossy 

 green; sides of head and neck, except a dusky streak in front, 

 bi'ight chestnut or maroon; wing coverts and upper surface of 

 wings and tail feathers glossy green, wing coA-erts edged with 

 brownish and whitish; inner primaries with narrow white tips; 

 long scapular plumes bluish-white glossed with green, lower 

 parts grayish, darkest on sides. Bill greenish-black, except 

 mandible on lower surface, also lores and eyes yellow; legs 

 greenish yellow. 



Young. — Head less crested and dull greenish black, back and 

 upper parts generally greenish; long scapular plumes absent; 

 wing coveits much more broadly bordered with brown and 

 whitish than adult; many of larger wing feathers have snowy 

 white tips; chin, throat and front neck, whitish with dusky 

 streaks; sides of head rather pale raddish-brown; lower parts, 

 whitish with dusky stripes; edge of wing as in adult white; 

 color of eyes, legs and bill, very siimilar to old bird. 

 . Habitat. — Canada and Oregon, southward to northern South 

 America and the West Indies; rare or absent in the middle pro- 

 vince. 



The Green Heron is known by a variety of local 

 names, some of which are much more expressive than 

 elegant. This bird, the most common and abundant 

 of all our Herons, is fc-und throughout the State, fre- 

 quenting rivers, streams and ponds. It arrives in this 

 section occasionally as early as the first week in April, 

 from the southern states, where it resides when the 

 chilling blasts of winter have frozen over our streams 

 and marshes. This s])ecies sometimes bi'eeds in small 

 companies; generally, however, but two or thi'ec pairs 

 are found nesting together. 



