Little Heron – social behaviour

on 11th April 2013

“Little Herons (Butorides striata) have become increasingly common in the urban neighbourhood. I estimate 3-4 adults in a 1.5 km radius. We see them almost daily on the electric wires, commonly at dawn and dusk.

“My wife had just gone out to the market when she returned immediately to say two Little Heron were ‘having a go’ on a wire nearby. I quickly joined her with my camera. Light was still limited but views were adequate. They were 3-4 meters apart and one was unhappy with the proximity. It had raised the crest in a very unusual way (above, taken before sunrise). There was no breeze at all to offer any other reason for the raised crest feathers. As one bird made a move forward the other postured further. Not sure how long they had been at it but our watching soon terminated the activity.

“I have often watched the social behaviour of these birds and adult males do posture by opening wings with raised crests and intense calls. The second image (above) is from a year earlier, also in the early morning showing the usual crest elevation.”

Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
15th February 2013

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

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