Page:Birdlifeguide00chap.djvu/166

 92 HERONS. size, preference for wooded regions instead of marshes, and habit of nesting alone, not in flocks, hke most Iler- Little Green Heron, ^^^^ accounts for its being relatively Ardea virescens. common. It arrives from the South Plate VI. a|3Q^t ^pj.i| 20, and nests early in May. The nest, as is usual in this family, is a rude platform of sticks and is placed in a bush or the lower branch of a tree, often overhanging the water. The eggs number from three to six, and in color are pale green- ish blue. The young, although born with a covering of hairlike feathers, are quite helpless and are reared in the nest. Adults have the crown and back dark, glossy green, the neck reddish brown. The notes of this little Heron are a clear whistle and a harsh squawk, uttered when it is frightened. It then seeks refuge by alighting in a distant bush or tree, and with upstretched neck and twitching tail watches the intruder. The Night Heron, or Squawk, doubtless owes its escape from the fate of most Herons to its nocturnal habits. These birds arrive from the Nieht Heron ^^'^^^^ ^^ April and remain until Oc- Nycticorax nycticorax tober. They ucst in large colonies, a nrnvius. rookery not far from l^ew York city being inhabited by at least one thousand pairs. It is in a low, wooded tract, and the nests are built in the trees at an average height of thirty feet. The eggs number four to six, and in color are pale bluish green. At night, while feeding, these Herons are doubtless distributed over a wide area. When flying, they often utter a loud squawh, the origin of one of their common names. It is a surprising sound when heard near by at night, and has doubtless aroused the curiosity of many persons who live near a line of flight followed by these birds in going to and from their nests.