With bright yellow eyes and colour patches around it’s bill, this little heron has a creepy silhouette to it!
Endemic to the Galapagos islands, the Lava Heron, or Galapagos Heron, is a relatively small heron that feeds mainly on crabs and fish. Their feathers and overall grey-black colour blend in perfectly with the lava rocks found along the shores of much of the Galapagos Islands. This camouflage and a stealthy ability to spear their prey with their bills makes them effective hunters.
You’ll often see them around the shoreline close to town as they have no fear of people. This one was photographed at a beach on San Cristobal Island.
I love their beady little yellow eyes! Great shot, so sharp! I caught a few shots of one lava heron fishing (before, during, and after the catch) so it’s a fun series, but nothing was this sharp. When are you going back?
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Ya these were cool little birds…with their super bright eyes! Actually thinking about picking a time to return now…can’t decide if I should go back before or after summer!
This is a real amazing creature, it stays for long time wandering around and patiently waiting the right moment to hunt a fish. Amazing! When they are wet, they look so stupidly beautiful.
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So true! I have a funny photo of a wet lava heron…I felt sorry for him he looked so ugly, haha.