Today we all had a wonderful day on the "island of the birds", our beloved Genovesa. In the morning we had a wonderful short walk and saw many birds: frigates, red-footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, finches, herons, etc. After the walk, many of our visitors went snorkeling (the water was a warm 75°F) and all had great fun. In the afternoon we had a walk on Prince Phillip's Steps where we saw the ever-elusive short-eared owl. Not one, but three of them were spotted.
Today's picture is of one of the herons we saw in the morning, the "yellow-crowned night heron" (Nyctanassa violacea pauper). It was standing on the rocks, in the shade of a small cliff. This bird is a medium-sized heron with a yellow-crown, white cheeks and large, orange eyes. This species is mainly active at night and eats scorpions, centipedes, beetles, locusts, crabs, and on the inhabited islands they have been seen eating small, introduced rats.
The yellow-crowned night heron breeds all year round in Galapagos. Its nest is made of twigs placed under rocky ledges or in low bushes. This enigmatic looking heron lays three or four eggs, which are incubated by both parents.
