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Grey Heron – feeding behaviour

on 13th September 2017

“Watched a Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea jouyi) handle a rather large fish, almost too much for the bird (below). The fish was dropped a number of times, the head stabbed and it was turned sideways and shaken; presumably to break the vertebral column of the fish. The fish was repositioned a number of times before it could be swallowed.

HewronGr-fish [AmarSingh] 1

“What was of interest to me was the post feeding behaviour. The bird seemed to drink water or wash the beak a number of times. It also picked up sticks a few times to run through the beak (below). At first I thought this was nest building activity, but after 5-6 episodes of picking up and discarding sticks I suspect it could be cleaning the inside of the beak.

HewronGr-fish [AmarSingh] 2

“Perhaps the large fish had left some lingering sensation in the beak or some tiny bits were stuck.
I managed to capture some of these observations on video and appreciate any opinions.

“Video below.”

Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
26th June 2017

Location: Tambun, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Habitat: Secondary growth near limestone hills and ex-mining pools (fish farming)

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.

Other posts by YC Wee

2 Responses

  1. That’s a huge mouthful given the relative body mass of the heron and the fish!

    I would tend the think that bits of the fish – scales for example – get stuck inside the beak and the heron uses the twigs as a kind of toothpick or dental floss!

  2. Two observations. First, it would appear that the fish was already dead when the heron picked it up and that rigor mortis has set in. The body appears to be unusually stiff.
    Second, that fish is a shark catfish of the family Pangasius, though I cannot be sure which genus or species. There are over 20 species and several genera in the family. Most of the species are not native to Malaysia, but since they are widely farmed in aquaculture, have been introduced to many countries, even in the Americas.
    That heron was certainly brave to attempt making a meal of that catfish. Though the spikes of Pangasius are not the most rigid nor venomous among the various catfishes, they are nevertheless significantly stiff and pose a formidable challenge to swallow. The commonly farmed Pangasius species grow to about 1 meter in length. But there are giants among other genera in the family that grow three times as long.
    By the way, catfish of the Pangasius family have neither scales nor scutes.

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