Green Heron: The Famous Fisherman

There is one bird that is enjoying his 15 minutes of fame this week,  with a video of his fishing habits becoming more and more popular on YouTube.   The video shows a small bird using bread to bait small fish to swim within his reach and then snatching them out of the water with his beak.  He even goes so far as to twitch the bread, much in the same way as a human fisherman moves his line to make the bait appear more like a genuine foodsource.

This clever little bird is a Green Heron,  and can be found in wet areas all over America, including the Everglades and the Rockies.   These birds also eat small frogs and mice.  I wonder what they use to bait those?

While certainly amazing,  this bird isn't alone in the animal kingdom to show behavior that seems 'human'.  Otters display amazing dexterity when opening shell fish, and many ape species have been shown to use primitive tools to open nuts and even to build shelter.  While it may be a bit more gruesome, whales often toss seals back and forth in what scientists believe to be play.  Perhaps we should toss them a volleyball?