Great Egret swallowing a fish
Ardea alba
Great Egret · Prospect Park · 25 May 2026
A Great Egret on Prospect Park Lake with a fish already flipped head-first before going down. Great Egrets fish the city's park lakes through the summer and roost on the harbour islands, and a lake with sunfish in it is a reliable place to find one.
Herons have no teeth and don't chew, so a fish has to be positioned so its scales and fins fold the right way to slide down the throat rather than catch on the way. A fumbled catch is often tossed and re-caught several times in the air before the bird is satisfied with the angle.
Birds, insects, plants and other wildlife, mostly from Brooklyn, with some from further afield.
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