Do herons laugh? Herons remind me of many people in the Washington D.C. area—they are serious, focused, and driven. How do herons relieve their stress?
Yesterday morning I was observing a Green Heron (Butorides virescens) at my local marshland park. Suddenly he opened his mouth wide in a huge smile and appeared to be laughing.
I am not sure what prompted his actions, but I couldn’t help but smile. Laughter, after all, is contagious.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
You (and the heron) put a smile on my face too, today–thanks a lot!
Mission accomplished! Anthropomorphism can be fun, though rarely accurate when in come to animal motivations.
It does look like that heron is laughing…Such a wonderful way to start the day.
Thanks, Charlie. I think we all need to laugh more often.
That’s funny!