A very stealthy feeling! How can this bird catch fish with an "umbrella"?

For birds that make a living by catching fish, mastering a fishing skill is a way of survival that they have to face in their lives. Although different birds have their own fishing skills, fundamentally speaking, most birds are of the proactive type, that is, after seeing the prey, they immediately rush forward and the fish falls into their mouths before they can react.

Kingfisher catching fish Image source: Pinterest

But there is a kind of bird on the African continent that has special fishing skills. Compared with other birds that take the initiative, they prefer to hold a "black umbrella" above the water and passively wait for the fish to fall into the trap.

Is this a "black umbrella" stuck in the ground? Image source: reddit

What is the origin of this bird?

How can it make fish approach it actively?

Today, let’s talk about another bird in the Ardeidae family - the black heron .

Is the black egret the “melanomorph” white egret?

The history of Ardeidae birds is very long and they were known to humans thousands of years ago. The egrets in particular have been recorded in many ancient books.

"The Egret" in the Book of Songs: "The egrets are flying in the west of Yong. When I was a guest at a place of rest, I also had such an appearance." The famous line by Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu: "Two orioles are singing in the green willows, a line of egrets are flying in the blue sky." The modern writer Guo Moruo also wrote an essay "The Egret" to praise it.

Great Egret Photo credit: Brian Sullivan

As a wading bird, the egret has a slender body and graceful posture. Like the white crane, it has a somewhat immortal air, so in ancient times it was also considered to be some kind of immortal bird.

So the question is, if the white egret is a "fairy bird", then what is the black egret? Is it a "banished fairy bird" that was banished to the mortal world, or did it undergo a genetic mutation and its white feathers turned black?

In fact, the black egret can be said to be a "special" egret, because both of them belong to the genus Egret in the family Ardeidae of the order Pelecaniformes. They are closely related, but belong to two different species.

Image source: Macaulay Library

The black egret is a medium-sized water bird, with a body length of 42 to 66 cm, and is shorter and fatter than the egret. Not only are their feathers black, but their beaks are also black. The only conspicuous part of their body is their ankles, which are bright yellow.

During the breeding season, the black egret's back and neck will also grow long feathers unique to the heron family. When courting, the feathers on its body will explode to attract the attention of the opposite sex.

Black egrets prefer to live near shallow water, such as the edges of wetlands and freshwater lakes, as well as rivers, rice fields and grasslands affected by floods. In coastal areas, they mainly forage on tidal flats.

Black egret hunting (source: hoard)

Ardeidae birds are widely distributed around the world, with 17 genera and 72 species, 9 genera and 20 species in China, and herons are found on all continents except Antarctica. Black egrets are mainly found in Africa south of the Sahara Desert, from Sudan to South Africa, but the largest number of black egrets is still in the eastern half of Africa, such as Madagascar.

In addition, black herons are also distributed in small numbers in the United States, Greece, Italy and other places.

However, there are actually rumors about "black egrets" in coastal areas of my country, but they are actually rock egrets. Rock egrets mainly live on reefs by the sea and are typical coastal birds. They have two sets of skin: white and dark gray. The white rock egrets are easily mistaken for egrets, while the dark gray rock egrets are called "black egrets".

Image source: shutterstock

Although the black heron and the rock heron look very similar, they can also be distinguished by their feet. As mentioned earlier , the black heron's feet are bright yellow, while the rock heron's feet are green.

Fish: It’s so cool here!

In most situations, black herons look like typical herons—long legs, long necks, long beaks. But when it comes time to hunt, they take on a different look.

When black egrets are foraging, they will first wander around the water to see where there are more fish. After selecting a location, they will quickly walk over. When you think it is going to dive down, it will actually spread out the feathers on its wings to form an "umbrella shape" and then wait for the fish to come.

Image source: pinterest

In ancient times, Jiang Taigong fished - those who are willing to take the bait

Today there are black egrets holding umbrellas - those who are willing will come

In the eyes of bird behaviorists, this method of hunting is called canopy feeding. Simply put, when fishing, the black egret will lower its head and spread its wings to cover its body, forming a shadow area.

So what is the purpose of this behavior?

Some ornithologists believe that this is to provide a cool place for fish looking for hiding places.

Image source: wikimedia

For fish living in shallow waters, too much direct sunlight will make the water hot, which will make many fish uncomfortable, so experienced "fishermen" know that fish like to hide near the shore or in waters with aquatic plants.

The black heron takes advantage of the fish's tendency to seek shade, creates a cool spot for itself, and then just waits for the fish to come to it. In addition to the temptation above the water, the black heron's bright yellow feet under the water also distract the fish and make them ignore the threat from the water.

Image source: pinterest

Of course, it is not ruled out that the black egret created it artificially for sun protection, just like people wear polarized sunglasses when fishing to reduce glare from the water surface. The shadow area formed by the wings allows the black egret to see the water surface better.

Come out for some fresh air. Source: spring

Anyway, the above techniques are nothing more than the hunting strategies of the black heron. It can be said that they are all skills and have no emotions. But from the perspective of the fish, at least when it rains, only the black heron is holding an umbrella for it!

References

wikipedia——blackheron

Howthe Black Heron Tricks the Fish

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSgZ-oeH920

Author: Fish

Editor: Dong Xiaoxian

Reviewer: Liu Kun and Li Peiyuan