Lava Heron: The hunched shape of this small dark heron is a characteristic sight along the coasts of all the islands. Though well camouflaged against lava, the lava heron is the most frequently seen of the Galapagos herons and the only endemic one. |
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It is found on most types of shore where it catches small fish in tide-pools and tidal creeks. It also stealthily hunts small crabs and lizards among the rocks. In mangroves, it perches amongst the stilt-roots and catches small fry by diving like a king-fisher. Young birds of this species are brownish with much dark streaking. Lava herons usually nest under rocks or in mangrove thickets where up to three eggs are laid in a twig nest. Most nesting is from September to March.
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Great Blue Heron: The great blue heron, (Ardea herodias), by far the largest of the Galapagos herons, stands 1.4 m high and is mainly grey with some black and white markings on the head, neck and breast. |
The great blue heron breeds on all the main islands either in isolated pairs or in small colonies. They favour mangroves or solitary rocks on which to build their large nests. Though its diet consists mainly of fish caught along the shoreline, the great blue heron will take lizards, young marine iguanas and turtle hatchlings. Certain pairs seem idiosyncratic in their habits. A pair at Punta Espinoza, Fernandina, spent much time during the marine iguana emergence period stalking the nesting beaches in search of newly hatched iguanas.
Two birds on Bartolome could regularly be seen waiting for turtle hatchlings to emerge.
As soon as a hatchling disturbed the sand's surface, the heron's beak would stab into the sand and pull out the little turtle. It would then take it to the water's edge to wash it before swallowing. |
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