Page 18 of 18

Great Egret (Ardea alba)

The Great Egret is a huge bird, measuring 1 meter from bill to feet. Its body is covered mostly on white plumage, with a bright yellow eye and bill, which is large and pointed, which helps to catch fish from rivers and ponds. Its long neck is most of the time coiled in an S-pattern. Its legs are black and very long, which helps to wade the shallow waters. Like most egrets, they inhabit the wetlands of Costa Rica, particularly at low altitude, and can be seen in rivers, ponds and small creeks. They stalk prey from the edge of shallow waters, standing still for minutes at a time while they observe their prey moving below the surface, and then launch their attack at the precise time to grab their prey.

Green Heron (Butorides Virescens)

From what I have observed, the Green Heron shares some traits with the bigger Bare-throated Tiger Heron. Both maintain their necks coiled most of the time, and elongate them up to twice the size of their body when they are ready to attack. Both walk in a stealthy manner, not making a single sound, as they approach to unsuspecting prey. Both are startled easily and fly far away when you are too close. The differences are that the Green Heron is more likely to be found perching high up in the trees, and the obvious size difference; the Green Heron is pretty small, the size of a duck, while the Tiger Heron is bigger than a turkey. They stalk prey while wading in shallow waters using their long feet and toes or from the water edge, sometimes standing motionless for minutes until they launch their attach and grab their prey.