Summary of "Fate, Fortune, and Fishing Birds" by Maki Naro

Maki Naro described the fascinating habits of the Green Heron. His interest in birds compelled both his thoughts and creative mindset. He also likes to draw cartoons, so when Radiolab asked him to do an article, he took video and drew out his procedures. Maki Naro summarizes the unique qualities of the Green Heron, and their method of getting a better meal. One of the most distinctive traits of the Green Heron is it's ability of gathering food. Maki and his partner were lucky enough to get video of this happening! The Green Heron gets a twig or worm, and dangles the bait in it's beak above the water. Then, it lets go of the bait and watches the bait and the water around it for fish. When a fish pokes at the bait, the Green Heron swoops it's beak down to get the bait. The odd bird does this over until it is certain the fish will stick. Then, it lets go of the bait again, but when the fish goes for the bait, the bird snatches the fish up in it's beak and enjoys the high calorie meal. "both planning for the future and making investments in the name of greater payoff down the road are tell-tale signs of complex reasoning abilities, and they have earned the green heron a special place in my heart."

(Naro 2014)

When I saw the heading of the article, I was amused. I loved the thought of a bird using bait to fish for a better food source. The article was simple and used brevity to make it's points have meaning. The video showed exactly how the Green Heron moved and captured fish. The article didn't have many complicated parts to it besides the thought of how the Green Heron evolved to capture it's prey. If I had to change one thing about this article, it would be that it was a little bit shorter and I would've liked more detail about the Green Heron itself. 

Fate, Fortune, and Fishing Birds. (2014, February 6). Retrieved from http://www.radiolab.org/story/fate-fortune-fishing-birds/