Dominica Botanic Gardens Roseau, Commonwealth of Dominica, West Indies

Source: Dominica’s Birds Photo: Cal Vornberger

Description: Small, short-necked heron, smallest in Dominica, 40-48 cm long (16-19 in), relatively small compared to other Herons; plumage on head, back and wings glossy gun-metal blue; bill long, black and sharply pointed; eyes yellow; chin white, neck brown with white stripe down front; legs relatively short, generally dull yellow, but bright orange in breeding male; female tends to be smaller, with duller, lighter plumage than male, particularly in breeding season; immature birds reddish brown with white streaks on head, neck and underparts, and white spots on wing coverts; feeds on small crabs, shrimp, fish and large insects; often seen on banks of rivers and ponds, and in parks; found variously throughout Gardens; click here to listen to its calls. References: Arlington James, Stephen Durand and Bertrand Jno.Baptiste. Dominica’s Birds. Forestry, Wildlife and Parks Division, Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment, Dominica, 2005 Peter Alden, et al. National Audubon Society Field Guide to Florida. Alfred Knopf, New York, 1998 T. Dewey and J. Butzbaugh.. Butorides virescens: Green Heron. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2001 (animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu) G.A. Gough, J.R. Sauer, M. Iliff. Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, US Geological Surveys, Laurel, MD. 1998 (mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov)