Abstract
Documentation of tool use by animals covers an array of species and tools, from chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) making sponges to collect drinking water to Woodpecker Finches (Cactospiza pallida) using cactus spines to extract grubs (Beck 1980). One form of proto-tool use, placing bait such as bread to attract small fish within striking range, has been reported from seven bird species representing five orders. These include Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis), Sunbittern (Eurypga helias), Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus), Black Kite (Milvus migrans), plus three Ardeids: Green-backed Heron (Butorides striatus), Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides), and Black-crowned Night Heron (Nyticorax nyticorax) (Lefebvre et al. 2002; Riehl 2001). Only one of these species, the Green-backed Heron, has been observed using artificial lures such as twigs, feathers, and bits of plastic (Higuchi 1986). In this paper we report an observation of a Goliath Heron (Ardea goliath) apparently using a small stick as a lure to attract fish.
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