Butorides virescens virescens
Status: Fairly common regular spring and fall migrant and breeder east and south-central, uncommon north-central, rare casual Panhandle.
Documentation: Specimen: UNSM ZM12399, 26 Apr 1917 Lincoln, Lancaster Co.
Taxonomy: Four subspecies are recognized (Gill et al 2022), frazari in southern Baja California, bahamensis in the Bahamas, anthonyi in the western United States and northern Baja California, and virescens in the central and eastern United States south to Panama and the Caribbean except for the Bahamas.
Nebraska breeders are presumed virescens.
Spring: Apr 13, 14, 15 <<<>>> summer
An earlier date is 2 Apr 1935 Sioux Co (Rosche 1982).
Arrival occurs in late Apr.
There are these few Panhandle reports: 2 Apr 1935 Sioux Co (Rosche 1982), 16 May 2023 Sheridan Co, 18-19 May 2019 Gordon, Sheridan Co, 20 May 2000 Sheridan Co, 21 May 2022 Oliver Reservoir, Kimball Co, 22-23 May 2010 Scotts Bluff Co, 22 May 2021 Kimball Co, 24 May 2024 Oliver Reservoir, 25 May 1977 Dawes Co (Rosche 1982), 4 Jun 2019 Scotts Bluff Co, and 16 Jun 1978 Dawes Co (Rosche 1982).
These Panhandle records tend to be later than those in the east, suggesting that it is a spring overshoot in the Panhandle; Rosche (1982) listed it as casual in spring in the northwest.
- High counts: 12 at Wolf Lake, Saunders Co 27 May 1996, 11 in Hall Co 11 May 2002, and 6 in southwest Hall Co 11 May 1996.
Summer: Green Heron breeds over much of the eastern and southern half of the state. This distribution probably has not changed much since Bruner et al (1904) considered the species a “very common summer resident in eastern Nebraska” but not reported further west. The westernmost nesting records cited by Ducey (1988) are for Cherry Co and Lincoln Co; Ducey stated that the present “nesting range is larger than the records indicate”.
Northwesterly reports are of one at Swan Lake, Cherry Co 10 Aug 2012, one at Valentine NWR, Cherry Co 22 Jul 2023, one at NNF Bessey, Thomas Co 20 Jun 2017, two at Arcadia Diversion Dam WMA, Custer Co 29 Jul 2014, in Loup Co 13 Jun 2015 and 25 Jun 2024, and southern Rock Co 22 Jun 2024. Rosche (1994) suggested that nesting probably occurs in the Keith Co area, but there was no definite evidence. Tout (1947) reported a nest at Crescent Lake NWR, Garden Co in summer 1937; more recently, a single bird was there 14 Jul 2017. Recent reports suggest breeding occurs regularly in Lincoln Co: 1-2 summered in 2004, one was carrying food near North Platte 8-9 Jul 2006, and seven (one per mile) were counted along the Platte River 23 Jun 2008. Further west in the North Platte River Valley, singles were east of McGrew, Scotts Bluff Co 15 Jun 2001 and at Bridgeport, Morrill Co 11 Jun 2006, 20 Aug 2012, and 21 Jun 2016. One was at Legion Park, Cheyenne Co 16 Jun 2023. Determining the limits of the breeding range is complicated by failed breeders or non-breeding birds that wander, especially westward along stream corridors, away from breeding sites.
Apparently the first known example of colonial nesting for Nebraska was of at least four nests with eggs in western Douglas Co 17 May 2006 (Mollhoff 2006). The same colony had five nests with 1-5 eggs 14 May 2007 (Mollhoff 2008).
- Breeding Phenology:
Nest-building: 9 Jul
Eggs: 11 May-14 Jun (Taylor and Van Vleet 1888, Mollhoff 2022) - Nestlings: 3-6 Jul
Fledglings: 20 Jun-19 Aug
- High counts: 7 at Zorinsky Lake, Douglas Co 2 Jul 2022, and 6 at 255th St and Pflug Rd, Sarpy Co 30 Jul 2022.
Fall: summer <<<>>> Oct 11, 12, 12
Later dates are 15 Oct 2006 Lincoln Co, 20 Oct 2023 Buffalo Co, 24 Oct 2023 Lancaster Co, and 26 Oct 2018 Lancaster Co.
Most depart by mid-Oct.
There are these few Panhandle reports: 24 Jul 1983 Scotts Bluff Co, 12-26 Aug 1926 near Fort Robinson, Dawes Co (Rosche 1982), 21 Aug 1971 Scotts Bluff Co, 29 Aug 2014 Scotts Bluff Co, 1 Sep 2019 Lodgepole Creek, Kimball Co, 6 Sep 2021 Morrill Co, 25 Sep 1994 at North Platte NWR, Scotts Bluff Co, 29 Sep 2019 Oliver Reservoir, Kimball Co, and 30 Sep 1986 Sioux Co.
- High counts: 8 in Platte Co 31 Aug 2003, 8 at Jack Sinn WMA, Lancaster Co 21 Jul 2012, 8 in western Douglas Co 15 Aug 2013, 5 at Stagecoach Lake SRA, Lancaster Co 27 Aug 2023, and five at a Lincoln, Lancaster Co pond 6 Aug 2023.
Images
Abbreviations
NNF: Nebraska National Forest
NWR: National Wildlife Refuge
UNSM: University of Nebraska State Museum
WMA: Wildlife Management Area (State)
Literature cited
Bruner, L., R.H. Wolcott, and M.H. Swenk. 1904. A preliminary review of the birds of Nebraska, with synopses. Klopp and Bartlett, Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
Ducey, J.E. 1988. Nebraska birds, breeding status and distribution. Simmons-Boardman Books, Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
Gill, F., D. Donsker, and P. Rasmussen (Eds). 2022. IOC World Bird List (v 12.2). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.12.2. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
Mollhoff, W.J. 2006. The 2006 Nebraska nest report. NBR 74: 142-147.
Mollhoff, W.J. 2008. The 2007 Nebraska nest report. NBR 76: 155-165.
Mollhoff, W.J. 2022. Nest records of Nebraska birds. Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Occasional Paper Number 9.
Rosche, R.C. 1982. Birds of northwestern Nebraska and southwestern South Dakota, an annotated checklist. Cottonwood Press, Crawford, Nebraska, USA.
Rosche, R.C. 1994. Birds of the Lake McConaughy area and the North Platte River valley, Nebraska. Published by the author, Chadron, Nebraska, USA.
Taylor, W.E., and A.H. Van Vleet. 1888. Notes on Nebraska birds. Ornithologist and Oologist. 13: 49-51.
Tout, W. 1947. Lincoln County birds. Published by the author, North Platte, Nebraska, USA.
Recommended Citation
Silcock, W.R., and J.G. Jorgensen. 2024. Green Heron (Butorides virescens virescens). In Birds of Nebraska — Online. www.BirdsofNebraska.org
Birds of Nebraska – Online
Updated 23 Aug 2024