We’ve already seen an instance of tool use in birds with Betty the New Caledonian Crow. Here’s another example of a bird improvising with a nearby object in a successful attempt to get food (the amateur narrator is a little… odd and, as one of the YouTube commentors pointed out, kind of Poohish, but ignore that and watch the behavior of the organism):
 

 
This is a Green Heron (Butorides virescens), which, like many herons, catches fish. This species, though, has mastered the trick of using bait. The bird’s entry at Cornell’s All About Birds guide confirms that this tool use is common for the species; according to the entry, the bird has also been observed using insects, worms, twigs, and feathers as bait. Green herons are native to North and Central America (as far south as Colombia) and can be found, like other herons, in marshes and around ponds.

Tags: Birds, Saturday Birds