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Butorides virescens

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Green Heron

G4Apparently Secure Found in 40 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
MediumThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.102189
Element CodeABNGA08010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderPelecaniformes
FamilyArdeidae
GenusButorides
Other Common Names
Garceta Verde (ES) green heron (EN) Héron vert (FR)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
Monroe and Browning (1992) reanalyzed taxonomy of Butorides and concluded that B. striatus (striated heron) and B. virescens (green heron) were separate species; AOU (1993) adopted this change. Previously, Payne (1974) had lumped striatus and virescens, and North American populations were regarded as green-backed heron, B. striatus.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2025-10-21
Change Date2025-10-21
Edition Date2025-10-21
Edition AuthorsJue, Dean K. (2014); rev. R. L. Gundy (2025)
Threat ImpactMedium
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
This species is abundant across a large range from North America into northern South America. The population has suffered historical declines due to habitat loss and continues to decline. It is threatened by wetland habitat loss and human disturbance.
Range Extent Comments
The breeding range extends from southwestern British Columbia, southern Utah, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Michigan, southern Quebec, and New Brunswick south through the México, Central America to eastern Panama, Bermuda, the Caribbean, and islands off the northern coast of Venezuela, and Tobago (Kushlan et al. 2011, Davis Jr. and Kushlan 2020).

The nonbreeding range extends from western British Columbia and Washington (rarely), western Oregon, coastal and southeastern California, southern Arizona, southern Texas, southern Louisiana, Florida, and South Carolina south throughout breeding range to northern Colombia and northern Venezuela (Davis Jr. and Kushlan 2020). In the U.S., the highest winter densities occur in Florida and in the San Joaquin Valley of California, especially between Fresno and Bakersfield (Root 1988). Wanders outside usual range (AOU 1983). Rare visitor to Hawaii.
Occurrences Comments
Green Herons are solitary nesters and dispersed widely through marine and freshwater habitats so estimating numbers is difficult and colonies tend to be small (Davis Jr. and Kushlan 2020)
Threat Impact Comments
Loss of wetland habitat and trees surrounding wetland habitat is the primary threat to this species. Human disturbance also reduces foraging efficiency (Kaiser and Fritzell 1984, Moore et al. 2016).
Ecology & Habitat

Description

A small stocky wading bird with relatively short legs (dull yellow; bright orange in breeding males), long straight bill, and short tail; adult has a mostly deep chestnut neck, greenish-black crown, green/blue-gray upperparts, and white mid-ventral throat region; immature is browner above, with the white throat and underparts heavily streaked with brown; total length is about 46 cm, wingspan 66 cm (NGS 1983).

Habitat

Swamps, mangroves, marshes, and margins of ponds, rivers, lakes, and lagoons. Eggs are laid in platform nest in tree, thicket, or bush over water or sometimes in dry woodland or orchard; nests in both freshwater and brackish situations.

Ecology

Generally solitary or in pairs.

Reproduction

Clutch size usually is 4-5 in north, 2-3 in south. Incubation, by both sexes, lasts 19-21 days. Young fly at 21-23 days, but still fed by parents. Sometimes two broods/year. May breed at 1 year. Usually nests singly.
Palustrine Habitats
TEMPORARY POOLHERBACEOUS WETLANDSCRUB-SHRUB WETLANDFORESTED WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN4B
ProvinceRankNative
OntarioS4BYes
ManitobaS1BYes
New BrunswickS1BYes
QuebecS3BYes
British ColumbiaS3BYes
United StatesN5B,N5N
ProvinceRankNative
OhioS5Yes
ArizonaS4Yes
IowaS3BYes
WisconsinS4BYes
ConnecticutS4BYes
MassachusettsS4B,S5MYes
MichiganS4Yes
West VirginiaS3BYes
WashingtonS3BYes
ColoradoS3BYes
VirginiaS5Yes
New HampshireS5BYes
MissouriSNRBYes
DelawareS4BYes
North DakotaS3Yes
GeorgiaS5Yes
PennsylvaniaS4BYes
NevadaS4BYes
NebraskaS4Yes
South CarolinaS4Yes
TexasS5BYes
VermontS4BYes
New JerseyS3B,S4NYes
OregonS4Yes
WyomingS3NYes
UtahSHBYes
AlabamaS5BYes
IndianaS4BYes
MarylandS5BYes
MaineS3BYes
FloridaS4Yes
TennesseeS4Yes
KentuckyS4BYes
New YorkS5Yes
North CarolinaS5BYes
Rhode IslandS5B,S5NYes
LouisianaS3N,S5BYes
CaliforniaSNRYes
OklahomaS2BYes
District of ColumbiaS3B,S3NYes
IllinoisS5Yes
MinnesotaSNRBYes
KansasS4BYes
MississippiS5BYes
ArkansasS3BYes
New MexicoS4Yes
South DakotaS2BYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentRestricted (11-30%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
1.1 - Housing & urban areasRestricted (11-30%)Serious - moderateHigh (continuing)
1.2 - Commercial & industrial areasRestricted (11-30%)Serious - moderateHigh (continuing)
1.3 - Tourism & recreation areasSmall (1-10%)Serious - moderateHigh (continuing)
6 - Human intrusions & disturbanceLarge - restrictedSlight or 1-10% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
6.1 - Recreational activitiesLarge - restrictedSlight or 1-10% pop. declineHigh (continuing)

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Roadless Areas (40)
Arizona (4)
AreaForestAcres
Butterfly Roadless AreaCoronado National Forest42,296
GoldfieldTonto National Forest15,257
PinalenoCoronado National Forest130,920
TumacacoriCoronado National Forest44,594
Arkansas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bear MountainOuachita National Forest1,910
California (11)
AreaForestAcres
Bonanza KingShasta-Trinity National Forest16,402
CajonSan Bernardino National Forest7,548
City CreekSan Bernardino National Forest9,997
Cucamonga BSan Bernardino National Forest11,933
Deep CreekSan Bernardino National Forest23,869
Dry LakesLos Padres National Forest17,043
IshiLassen National Forest21,805
JuncalLos Padres National Forest12,289
LaddCleveland National Forest5,300
Lake EleanorShasta-Trinity National Forest397
White LedgeLos Padres National Forest18,632
Florida (1)
AreaForestAcres
Alexander Springs CreekOcala National Forest2,954
Idaho (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekCaribou-Targhee National Forest118,582
Oregon (2)
AreaForestAcres
Sky Lakes AWinema National Forest3,940
WoahinkSiuslaw National Forest5,309
Pennsylvania (3)
AreaForestAcres
Allegheny FrontAllegheny National Forest7,430
CornplanterAllegheny National Forest2,929
Tracy RidgeAllegheny National Forest9,034
Puerto Rico (2)
AreaForestAcres
El Toro AreaCaribbean National Forest12,584
Mameyes AreaCaribbean National Forest11,150
South Dakota (1)
AreaForestAcres
Indian CreekBuffalo Gap National Grassland24,666
Texas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Big CreekNational Forests in Texas1,447
Virginia (10)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekJefferson National Forest18,274
Brush MountainJefferson National Forest6,002
Kelley MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,590
Little RiverGeorge Washington National Forest27,292
North MountainJefferson National Forest8,377
Northern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest9,444
Oliver MountainGeorge Washington National Forest13,090
Peters Mountain Addition BJefferson National Forest2,909
Seng MountainJefferson National Forest6,428
Southern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest11,985
West Virginia (3)
AreaForestAcres
Dolly Sods Roaring PlainMonongahela National Forest13,392
Falls Of Hills CreekMonongahela National Forest6,925
Middle MountainMonongahela National Forest19,020
References (29)
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  2. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1993. Thirty-ninth supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds. Auk 110:675-82.
  3. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in <i>The Auk</i>]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
  4. BirdLife International. 2004b. Threatened birds of the world 2004. CD ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.
  5. BirdLife International. (2013-2014). IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on various dates in 2013 and 2014. http://www.birdlife.org/
  6. Davis, Jr., W.E. and J.A. Kushian. 1994. Green Heron (<i>Butorides virescens</i>). The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, ed.). Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca. Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu.bnaproxy.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/129/doi:10.2173/bna.129.
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  8. Hilty, S.L. and W. L. Brown. 1986. A Guide to the Birds of Colombia. Princeton University Press, Princeton, USA. 836 pp.
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  11. Monroe, B. L., and M. R. Browning. 1992. A reanalysis of BUTORIDES. Bull. Brit. Ornithol. Club 112:81-85.
  12. Moore, A. A., M. C. Green, D. G. Huffman, and T. R. Simpson. 2016. Green herons (<i>Butorides virescens</i>) in an urbanized landscape: does recreational disturbance affect foraging behavior? American Midland Naturalist 176: 222-233. doi: 10.1674/0003-0031-176.2.222
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  21. Raffaele, H., J. Wiley, O. Garrido, A. Keith, and J. Raffaele. 1998. A guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. 511 pp.
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  25. Sauer, J. R., J. E. Hines, J. E. Fallon, K. L. Pardieck, D. J. Ziolkowski, Jr., and W. A. Link. 2014. The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1966 - 2012. Version 02.19.2014. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD. http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/.
  26. Sibley, D. A. 2000a. The Sibley guide to birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
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