This small heron is usually quite shy but this juvenile allowed close approach. It is more common in
the Eastern U.S. where the nominate subspecies occurs. The Western population B. v. anthonyi, which ranges
from northern Baja north to British Columbia, is larger and paler than nominate birds in the East. The buff streaks
on the forehead and blended with reddish on side of head suggest this bird may be a female. However the reliability
of these characters is disputed. Digiscoped with Panasonic DMC-LX5 | Nikon FieldScope III | 30XWA | hand-held (no
adapter).Reference:
Davis Jr., W. E. and J. A. Kushlan (1994). Green Heron (Butorides virescens), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.129