Appetite for baby chicks hurts herons' reputation - Hawaii News

Last week as I looked through my literature on Hawaii's shorebirds, a headline in the Hawaii Audubon Society's journal, Elepaio, stopped me.

[akuu]

Hmmmm coqui yum-yum.

[Bruno]

I hope they catch on to snatching up all those baby chicks of wild chickens that have polluted our beautiful state. Also to Asagi Hatchery, you are very irresponsible to be promoting chickens as pets. With our islands under siege by feral chickens and roosters, you are only adding to the problem. You will do anything to keep your business going!

[Tracy]

The black crowned night herons are very smart.
One of them in Enchanted Lake use to take bread from me and position it in the water at the exact depth he wanted and "fished" for tilapia.
He knew from watching people feed the birds that any bread in the water attracted the fish.
This became a way to get him to fill up on the fish and not the baby coot and moorehens.

[wharfrat]

I watch those herons at Ala Moana Park - Ala Wai Canal. They are smart. If the kids catch fish and throw them to the herons they won't eat them. They want to catch their own fish. We throw bread close to the edge of the canal so the birds can snatch the fish in the shallow water. So entertaining to watch. And they have to swallow the fish head first so the gills don't get caught in their throats? And I have often seen them give up on a big fish and throw it back.