In this quick tutorial you'll learn how to draw a Green Heron in 7 easy steps - great for kids and novice artists.
The images above represent how your finished drawing is going to look and the steps involved.
Below are the individual steps - you can click on each one for a High Resolution printable PDF version.
At the bottom you can read some interesting facts about the Green Heron.
Make sure you also check out any of the hundreds of drawing tutorials grouped by category.
How to Draw a Green Heron - Step-by-Step Tutorial
Step 1: Draw a long, thin V with a line through the middle on its side. Add a curve going from the top end, and a dot near the meeting point.
Step 2: Draw a long curve down from each end of the head.
Step 3: Draw a curved V, with a zig-zagging lower side, in the body.
Step 4: Close off the body with two lines that meet in a W shape.
Step 5: Under the body, draw two lines that go down and back, then bend down and forward, ending in a long toe going back and one going forward. Repeat.
Step 6: Add curves and crisscrossing lines on the wing and tail, a curve near the eye, and another from the mouth to the back of the neck.
Step 7: Draw a rectangular block under the feet. Done! You can color it with a green head, greenish black wings, a brown chest with a white stripe down the middle, and yellow legs. Green herons are some of the few animals in the world to use tools. They use any small scraps of food they can as fishing bait!
Interesting Facts about Green Herons
Green Herons are small herons that live on Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America. They have a lot of names and even a sister species found in North America and the Galapagos Islands. Green Herons are a blue gray color with white underparts. Their head has a black cap and there is a line that begins under their eye and runs all the way down to its bright yellow legs. Their beak is sharp and long and used to pluck food out of the water. Green Herons eat small fish, frogs, and water bugs.
Did you know?
- Green Herons trap their food by fishing with items like twigs and feathers. When the prey swims over to investigate, the bird snaps it up quickly.
- With its sister species The Green Heron in North America and the Lava Heron in the Galapagos Islands; the Green Heron (also called the Striated Heron) is sometimes called one of the “Green-Backed Herons.”
- There are 3 species of Green-Backed Herons. People used to think there was only 1.
- Green Herons build their nests on the ground and often near water. A normal nest will hold 2 to 5 eggs.
- A way to identify this “Green Heron” is to look for the yellow patches around its eyes.
Theme: “Meet the Herons!” Take a week to study the different types of Herons in the world. Don’t forget about the Green-Backed sisters. But also remember the Blue Heron, the White Heron, and etc.
How to Draw a Green Heron – Step-by-Step Tutorial