The struggle for survival in nature is a story with which humans have always been concerned. As we view this elegant bird, we are reminded of the cycles and systems of the natural world of which we humans are also a part. Night Heron is one of many paintings done by David Bates that focuses on the life of Grassy Lake and other swamps and lakes of Arkansas, Louisiana, and east Texas. The bird in Night Heron is from a family of graceful birds with long, sharply pointed bills that extend almost to their eyes. They are similar to cranes in appearance with narrow heads, long slender necks and storklike legs.
Herons usually nest and roost in flocks, but they hunt for their food alone.
Their nests, built of loose, crude masses of sticks, are found close together in rookeries called heronries. The female lays from three to six eggs, and young herons are helpless for a few weeks before they learn to fly. To search for food, herons stalk along the shores of streams. Sometimes, they stand for a long time with their head drawn between their shoulders as if asleep, while they wait for fish, frogs, or small reptiles. When the heron spots its prey, it makes a lightning dart to catch the victim in its spearlike beak.