Sky-pointing by herons

Sky-pointing by herons

Palmer (2023) noted sky-pointing by Great White Egrets Ardea alba, illustrated the behaviour beautifully and questioned its relevance and meaning. This sky-pointing pose is also illustrated in Itoh (1988). From my experience watching herons in Norfolk, the behaviour appears to be regularly given as a threat and perhaps a show of ‘triumph’ by various members of the heron family and varies in intensity between specific confrontations.

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