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Discover Nature (Missouri Department of Conservation)

Discover Nature: Green Herons

KBIA | By Kyle Felling
Published August 6, 2019 at 2:26 PM CDT
A green heron stalks through shallow water and vegetation in search of its next meal. Green herons are known to use tools – dropping bait on the water’s surface to attract fish for prey. Watch for these unique birds along banks of Missouri streams.";s:

Take a quiet float trip, or wade around a bend in a Missouri stream this week, and you’ll likely encounter a feathered fishing friend.

 

Green herons typically stand motionless or stalk intently for prey along the banks of streams and ponds.  These intelligent birds are known to use tools – dropping small objects such as twigs, feathers, or insects on to the water’s surface to lure curious fish within snatching distance. 

 

Green herons are sometimes confused with least bitterns, though their vocalizations are distinctly different. 

 

Unlike other heron species, the green heron often nests solitarily, building nests in trees or shrubs, well-hidden by other vegetation, and often overhanging bodies of water.  

 

These common summer residents begin flying south by the end of august to winter ranges as far away as Central America and the northern regions of South America. 

 

Learn more about Missouri’s great green herons, and find public lands near you to watch them in the wild with the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) online field guide <https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/green-heron>.  

 

 

Discover Nature is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation.
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Kyle Felling
Kyle Felling’s work at KBIA spans more than three decades. In 2025, he became KBIA and KMUC's Station Manager. He began volunteering at the station while he was a Political Science student at the University of Missouri. After being hired as a full-time announcer, he served as the long-time local host of NPR’s All Things Considered on KBIA, and was Music Director for a number of years. Starting in 2010, Kyle became KBIA’s Program Director, overseeing on-air programming and operations while training and supervising the station’s on-air staff. During that period, KBIA regularly ranked among the top stations in the Columbia market, and among the most listened to stations in the country. He was instrumental in the launch of KBIA’s sister station, Classical 90.5 FM in 2015, and helped to build it into a strong community resource for classical music. Kyle has also worked as an instructor in the MU School of Journalism, training the next generation of journalists and strategic communicators. In his spare time, he enjoys playing competitive pinball, reading comic books and Joan Didion, watching the Kansas City Chiefs, and listening to Bruce Springsteen and the legendary E Street Band.
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