Umbrella Bird.
21st February 2026
The Black Heron, is colloquially named the ‘Umbrella Bird’ because of its hunting style of using its wings to form a canopy which attracts fish to the subsequent shade provided.
This clever technique also helps the birds by making it easier for them to see down into the water. This method of hunting is therefore, unsurprisingly called ‘Canopy Feeding’
These birds inhabit shallow open waters around lakes and ponds; they sometimes fish in numbers, up to fifty birds have been recorded using this method.
They also roost communally like many other herons.
This clever technique also helps the birds by making it easier for them to see down into the water. This method of hunting is therefore, unsurprisingly called ‘Canopy Feeding’
These birds inhabit shallow open waters around lakes and ponds; they sometimes fish in numbers, up to fifty birds have been recorded using this method.
They also roost communally like many other herons.