[citation needed] It prefers shallow open waters, such as the edges of freshwater lakes and ponds.

The black heron uses a hunting method called canopy feeding — it uses its wings like an umbrella, creating shade that attracts fish.

The primary food of the black heron is small fish, but it will also eat aquatic insects, crustaceans and amphibians.

[3] The nest of the black heron is constructed of twigs placed over water in trees, bushes, and reed beds, forming a solid structure.

The heron nests at the beginning of the rainy season, in single or mixed-species colonies that may number in the hundreds.