Green Heron in the Netherlands (7 Viewers)

[lou salomon]

just an idea:

since it resembles brazilian green herons and zaandam is a large port - the idea that it has been fledged in early 2006 in brazil and got a nice oceanride with a container ship seems not too farfetched?

 

[*Amber*]

As the Heron in the Netherlands looks lighter in colour than others, could it possibly be erythristic?

 

[StevePreddy]

The ship assistance theory sounds quite plausible to me.

The geographical distribution of the records of British Green Herons, all of which have been "normal" North American-looking birds, suggests ship assistance for at least some of them (two near Hull, on the east coast, and one in Kent i.e. near the narrowest point of the English Channel shipping lanes, compared to just two west coast birds)

By the way, the birds in Brazil aren't Striated Herons in the sense we Europeans use this term, they're Green Herons - Striated Heron is an Old World species.

 

[vincentvogelt]

@All, thanks to your imput so far!
The Dutch bird has a neck colouration very similar to the type 6 bird (4th from the right) in the image at the start of the study by Hayes I linked to in my previous post. That would make our bird a green heron virescens, limiting its possible origin (assuming it's wild for reasons stated before) to either Northern or Central America. Green herons in these areas breed between April and September. Since our bird was first seen at the end of April 2006, clearly it was already in its second calendar year then. If it's in fact a birds from the Carribean (where seemingly more green herons this pale occur, but populations are sedentary), how can we explain the fact it has been migrating back and forth between Holland and the south of France (1200km!) for at least 3 and possibly 4 years in a row?! Alternatively, can we build a plausible scenario where our bird is born at the end of the 2005 breeding season somewhere in the US migratory populations, is carried by the heavy winds of 2005 autumn/winter (Cathrina!) to Europe/North Africa, largely suspending its moult to preserve energy for its long voyage and, having arrived in Europe, commences to display a more or less 'typical' migration pattern annualy? Which leads me to yet another question: Is 1200km a regular distance for annual migration of US green herons?

 

[chowchilla]

As someone who has seen many Green Herons in the wild over the years, let me make some comments:

1) I have never seen one in the wild being anywhere near as tame as the one photographed, they invariably fly around here with even a single person within 10-30 meters, unless the cover is so thick they feel unobserved. I have seen photos from more urban areas of Green Herons allowing people to approach closer, I assume because of habituation. That bird must be very, very used to having people close by, because in my opinion, that tameness is not normal in a wild Green Heron.

2) I looked at a number of photos in different lighting conditions, and I don't like the tone of the brown on the neck. It is too grayish, too flat and cool in the coloration, the whole bird looks flat and too gray in fact. A green heron should have brown in the throat stripes that has more of a warmish, chestnut hue to it -- and the rufous on the solid patches on the sides of the neck should generally be more extensive.

If I was you, I would be taking a long look at some of the 20 different subspecies of Striated Heron, that were split off from Green Heron some time ago.

Also add me to the list that finds it unlikely to the point of being impossible for a wild American Green Heron to have fresh juvenile plumage in Europe in April...

I can't comment on NA birds, but the Aussie Mangrove Herons (of the Striated group) are very tame and approchable. Whether that's typical of Striateds in general I don't know.

 

[Jeff Hopkins]

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for that. According to i.e. this article by Hayes, colouration is quite variable within green heron populations, but if I understand correctly, you're basically saying you haven't seen birds this pale in eastern US/Canada? And have you seen any paler birds at all (is there at least some variation in i.e, neck colouration), or ar all green herons in your parts much darker toned?

That's what I'm saying. There seems to be a lot of light/pale feather edging which gives your bird a very pale appearance. Our birds tend to be fairly uniform green without that white edging. But the birds in Brazil had that white edging as I recall. It's what made me suggest that option.

The other thing is the maroon versus brown or buff on the neck. Our birds tend to be very maroon. Your bird has more brownish tones. I don't know whather that also applies to Brazilian birds or not, but it just strikes me as "wrong" for a bird here in PA.

 

[njlarsen]

By the way, the birds in Brazil aren't Striated Herons in the sense we Europeans use this term, they're Green Herons - Striated Heron is an Old World species.

That interpretation does not agree with the commonly held views of these two species (if they indeed are species). Normally, the SA birds are Striated, NA are green, and the border is at Trinidad & Tobago (green on Tobago, striated on Trinidad) and at Panama.

Niels

 

[StevePreddy]

That interpretation [that Striated Heron is confined to the Old World] does not agree with the commonly held views of these two species (if they indeed are species). Normally, the SA birds are Striated, NA are green, and the border is at Trinidad & Tobago (green on Tobago, striated on Trinidad) and at Panama.

Niels

Apologies Niels - I've just checked this and you're correct.

 

[Brian Carter]

OK, I hope this should be in the Rarity forum, but I'd really like to know what you think:
Is this a virescens or some definite escape?
http://www.birdpix.nl/album_page.php?pic_id=57021&recent=1
Haven't seen it myself (yet... fingers crossed).

Very similar to immature herons [Green, Night Herons] in Florida's Everglades

 

[macrourus]

Sorry, I'm going mad or what I can see in the first photo posted

http://www.birdpix.nl/album_page.php?pic_id=57021&recent=1 has yellow legs, yellow iris, yellowish bill, pale streaked head sided and crown, different mantle like a juv. etc. etc

while the bird in the DB webpage has reddish legs and iris, fully black bill and crown and side of the head, different mantle and neck pattern etc...

they seems to me to be different bird or in just few days may change so much and also change so much in just tow different photos?

 

[njlarsen]

I think you have overlooked that this is a thread from 2006 that was revived recently, so the oldest and the newest photos are actually years apart. (look at dates for post 36 and 37)

Niels

 

[vincentvogelt]

@Jeff: ok, thanks (I guess...) for confirming that
@Andrea: we need you sane! . And Niels is right, they're all the same individual, but first pics are from April '06, later pics are from June '09...