Immaculate in plumage — black of heart, this is the most vicious and murderous of the Heron family. Untamable, fierce and bloodthirsty, they use their dagger bill with Moro accuracy on any living thing. Cats, dogs, birds, even human beings, are not safe within range of their piston stiletto. This prowess, combined with great wariness, insures their continued hold on existence.
I have seen them but once — four statues, magnificent in the heat-haze of Loggerhead Key, Florida. Before the sloop was within a quarter of a mile, they rose with measured wingbeats and disappeared far over the waters of Barnes Sound.
Southern Florida.