This morning (July 18) at the now popular birding pond behind the Price Chopper/Walmart stores in West Lebanon, NH, I watched a foraging Least Bittern perched about 25 feet away on the top of an old stump projecting above the water. The tail of that Least Bittern was continually flicking from side-to-side, while the front end of that bird, including its bill, head, and wings, appeared immobile as though momentarily "frozen" in position.

Some other herons, such as Great Blues and Greens, also often move the head, neck, and wings only very slowly when seeking prey. However, for these other species of herons I don't recall ever having noted such a conspicuous movement of the tail as seen in this morning's Least Bittern. It appeared as though the front end of the bird was being kept inconspicuous while the rear was waving like a small flag.

A quick check of a few references on Least Bitterns turned up no mention of such tail movements by foraging birds. However, wing-flicking by foraging Least Bitterns, a behavior which I have not seen, has been considered as one means for attracting prey as reported in the online Birds of the World account from Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

I'm wondering whether tail movements of the Least Bittern might also serve as a lure to attract nearby prey. Could it be that, from the viewpoint of a fish or other potential prey, a waving tail looks a lot less menacing than a moving beak or eyes?

George Clark
Norwich, VT



 


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