A Little Egret mated with a Chinese Pond Heron

Supplementary Videos for the following paper: Natural Hybridization between a Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
and a Chinese Pond Heron (Ardeola bacchus) in Japan

Mashiko M., M. Fujioka, K. Moriya, T. Hagimoto, M. Yamagchi and Y. Toquenaga
Waterbirds 35(1): 160-163 (2012).

Nest Building, 20sec., 732K (click here to play):
A Little Egret with a stick in its bill flew to a bamboo thicket, where a Chinese Pond Heron was sitting. The Chinese Pond Heron received the stick from the Little Egret and placed it in its sitting position, a typical nest-building behavior, or `tremble-shaving.' Video recorded on 9 Jun. 2010.

Copulation, 40sec., 1.2M (click here to play):
A Chinese Pond Heron was performing `tremble-shaving' on the nest, and a Little Egret mounted the Chinese Pond Heron. This mounting lasted for 20 seconds. After this behavior the Little Egret was observed preening near the nest. Video recorded on 9 Jun. 2010.

Feeding, 40sec., 1.2M (click here to play):
The Chinese Pond Heron parent flew to the vicinity of a juvenile of about 30 days old, which immediately begged the parent for food by grasping its bill. The juvenile was fed by regurgitation. Video recorded on 2 Aug. 2010.

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