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Green Heron
Butorides virescens
Audubon Illustration
John James Audubon, Birds of America (1827-1838). Public domain.
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About the Green Heron
The green heron (Butorides virescens) is a small heron of North and Central America. Butorides is from Middle English butor "bittern" and Ancient Greek -oides, "resembling", and virescens is Latin for "greenish". It was long considered conspecific with its sister species the striated heron (Butorides striata); when treated together, they were called "green-backed heron".
Source: Wikipedia
Classification
- Scientific name
- Butorides virescens
- Family
- Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns
- Order
- Pelecaniformes
Similar species
Other members of the herons, egrets, and bitterns family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.
- Agami Heron Agamia agami
- American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus
- Bare-throated Tiger-Heron Tigrisoma mexicanum
- Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
- Boat-billed Heron Cochlearius cochlearius
- Chinese Egret Egretta eulophotes
- Chinese Pond-Heron Ardeola bacchus
- Eastern Cattle-Egret Ardea coromanda
- Eurasian Bittern Botaurus stellaris
- Gray Heron Ardea cinerea
- Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias
- Great Egret Ardea alba
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