Page 297 - Hand rearing birds second

286 Hand-Rearing Birds

Figure­17.7­ Snowy Egrets in an aviary with vegetation and a shallow pool. Source: photo courtesy of
International Bird Rescue.

will contrast with releasable birds by their relative clumsiness and uncertainty in the flight aviary
environment. Be aware that these species can be somewhat fragile during capture. When manag-
ing large numbers of these chicks, it may be less disruptive to quickly capture the whole aviary for
evaluations, rather than searching for specific individuals while frightening all the birds. Release
candidates should be organized in groups of three or more, due to these species’ gregarious nature.
Young herons and egrets can be soft released into a semi‐supported environment where food is
provided to them for a brief transitional period, usually 1 to 2 weeks. However, young herons and
egrets are vulnerable to habituation and certain individuals may become dependent on caregiver
foods and fail to transition to foraging on their own.

Release

Most herons and egrets are not broadly migratory. Northern colonies may migrate south in the
winter within North America; colonies in temperate regions may not migrate at all. Individuals do
range over wide swaths of land and are not territorial. Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets are soli-
tary as adults outside the breeding season, and young can be released singly. Smaller species are
more gregarious and should be released in groups whenever possible. They can be released into