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26 May 2021 Great Blue Heron Forages for Fish by Bill-Vibrating
Blanton P. Combs
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Abstract

The more than 60 species in the family Ardeidae (herons, egrets, and bitterns) are known to be very creative at catching prey. Kushlan () describes a total of 38 feeding behaviors for this family. Each species uses several feeding methods, but only 6 species, or about 10% of the family, are known to attract fish by vibrating their bills in water, a technique first described by . This makes bill-vibrating one of the least common feeding tactics in Ardeidae. On 10 May 2019, I observed and photographed an adult Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) foraging by bill-vibrating at a large pond in Dead Horse Ranch State Park, near Cottonwood, Arizona. Bill-vibrating has not previously been reported in this species.

© 2021
Blanton P. Combs "Great Blue Heron Forages for Fish by Bill-Vibrating," Western North American Naturalist 81(2), 280-284, (26 May 2021). https://doi.org/10.3398/064.081.0213
Received: 9 February 2020; Accepted: 27 August 2020; Published: 26 May 2021
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