# Green Heron

Scientific name: Butorides virescens

Bird group: [heron](https://birdsofpuertorico.com/family/heron)

Canonical source: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/bird/166/Green-Heron

## Identification

The green heron (Butorides virescens) is a small heron of North and Central America. Butorides is from Middle English butor "bittern" and Ancient Greek -oides, "resembling", and virescens is Latin for "greenish".
The green heron is relatively small; adult body length is about 44 cm (17 in). The neck is often pulled in tight against the body. Adults have a glossy, greenish-black cap, a greenish back and wings that are grey-black grading into green or blue, a chestnut neck with a white line down the front, grey underparts and short yellow legs. The bill is dark with a long, sharp point. Female adults tend to be smaller than males, and have duller and lighter plumage, particularly in the breeding season. Juveniles are duller, with the head sides, neck and underparts streaked brown and white, tan-splotched back and wing coverts, and greenish-yellow legs and bill. Hatchlings are covered in down feathers, light grey above, and white on the belly.


## Distribution and habitat

The Green Heron occurs from temperate North America south 
to Colombia and Venezuela 
including the West Indies 
(Raffaele and others 1998), 
where it is a common resident 
species in Puerto Rico (Oberle 
2018) and fairly common on 
Vieques (Gemmill 2015). The 
Green Heron inhabits freshwater 
and saltwater marshes, as well as 
ponds, canals, mangroves, stream 
borders, ocean shores, and even 
gardens (Oberle 2018). The atlas 
fieldwork yielded a total of 492 
records within 284 hexagons 
or 59 percent of the 479 total 
hexagons (see map). Of the 284 hexagons where this species 
was found, breeding met the 
atlas definition of confirmed in 
12 percent (33) of the hexagons, 
probable in 11 percent (31), and 
possible in 76 percent (215), 
while the species was observed 
in 2 percent (5) of the hexagons 
but without evidence of breeding 
(see map). Green Heron distribution. The map shows the highest breeding code by hexagon and overlaying the ecological life zones in 
Puerto Rico. Note: percentages may not total 100 due to rounding.

## Breeding

The Green Heron often nests alone but also in treetop colonies 
(Oberle 2018). This species 
constructs a platform nest of 
twigs in a tree or shrub (Raffaele 
and others 1998), usually near 
reservoirs, ponds, lagoons,       157Green Heron/Martineterivers, creeks, and streams from the coast to the highest peaks 
(J.A. Salguero-Faría, personal 
observation 2009). Previously 
published reports indicate that 
it breeds mostly from April to 
August (Raffaele and others 
1998). Atlas results indicate that 
this species breeds throughout 
the year, but most breeding 
activity occurs during April, 
May, and June (see chart). 
Atlas findings show that the 
Green Heron breeds within all ecological life zones, but the 
most breeding occurs within the 
subtropical moist forest life zone 
(61 percent of the hexagons), 
followed by the subtropical dry 
(25 percent of the hexagons) and 
subtropical wet forest life zones 
(14 percent of the hexagons) 
(see table and map).

## Conservation

The Green Heron has not yet been assessed by the IUCN Red 
List. Locally, this species is not listed in any of the threatened 
categories of PRDNER and 
USFWS. In Puerto Rico, the 
Green Heron has a protected 
habitat in land of 9 percent or 
633 km2 of the total area covered by the hexagons where evidence 
of breeding was found for this 
species (6671 km2). 

Photo: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_166_Im0.png.webp

Distribution map: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_166_Im1.png.webp

Source note: Text is reproduced from this site's published record. Historical conservation statements and taxonomy have not been independently revalidated. See https://birdsofpuertorico.com/about for source credits and limitations.