Wading Bird Feeding Behavior

Reddish Egret

I can't stop photographing wading birds; I've tried, but I'm addicted.  Part of the reason is the sheer beauty of the birds, but I've become convinced that the main reason for my addiction is their behavior.  The more I observe them, the more I'm amazed at both their skill and creativity in capturing prey.  It turns out that ornithologists have studied and categorized the kinds of feeding behavior they've observed, and you can read a helpful summary here. But I thought it would be fun to offer a photographic, non-scientific summary of the kinds of behavior I've observed and photographed among herons, egrets and bitterns.

Great Blue Heron

Stand/Cling and Strike: Perhaps we most frequently think of wading birds standing motionless in shallow water.  Slowly the head lowers toward the surface the water.  Then, strike!  The bird has captured its prey. I'm particularly impressed with Least Bitterns and Green Herons, who seem to have a knack for doing this when clinging to reeds or branches with their heads facing down.

Snowy Egret

Great Egret

Least Bittern

Green Heron

Head Swaying:  As an interesting variant I've seen on the stand and strike method, I sometimes see Little Blue Herons and others sway their head from side to side before striking.  I can only guess that they are trying to improve their aim by viewing their prey from different angles. Obviously, it's difficult to show this behavior in a still image, but here's a Little Blue Heron in the process of swaying his head.

Little Blue Heron

Walking/Running:  Some wading birds can be found walking or running as they pursue their prey.  Reddish Egrets seem to be the most accomplished at this, and you can sometimes identify them by their behavior alone. Wading birds do not limit this technique to their activities in the water; they can also be seen using this technique on land.

Reddish Egret

Cattle Egret

Great Blue Heron

Canopy Feeding: Reddish Egrets also have the habit of spreading their wings toward their heads to create shade.  This gives them a better view into the water so that they can see their prey more easily.  It also creates wonderful scenes that photographers love to capture in their images.

Reddish Egret

Flight Feeding: I'm amazed that birds can fly low over the water and capture fish in flight. I see Snowy Egrets do this most frequently.  Often I see them flying low and dragging their feet in the water, and then they plunge their bills in the water to capture prey during flight.

Snowy Egret

Snowy Egret

Theft:  Wading birds are not always respectful of their neighbors property, so when one bird catches something desirable, another may try to steel it.  A little while ago I was at Viera Wetlands and I saw a Great Blue Heron lunge into the grass in an attempt to steal a frog from an American Bittern.  The bittern was able to evade the would-be thief, though, and it flew right by me to my delight.

American Bittern

So I suspect my addiction will not end soon; there's too much joy and fun in watching these birds in action.  And If I've passed on a little of my addiction on to you, well, I don't feel so bad.

Scott Simmons
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