422 - The Heron's Plan
From Natural Connections by Emily Stone
April 16, 2026 · 6 min · Season 1 · Episode 422
About this episode
This episode explores the predatory strategies of herons as they catch fish.
The fish appeared to be a striped mullet, a common species of coastal waters. At first, the mullet appeared to be winning. They flopped and slipped father through the herons bill, surely about to escape the final grip on their head. Then the heron's plan became apparent. All the movement was maneuvering the fish's head to aim aerodynamically into the heron's beak. With one last toss of their head, the fish disappeared.
People in this episode
Host: Emily Stone
Topics covered
- herons
- fish behavior
- coastal ecology
- predation
- natural strategies
Keywords
- heron
- mullet
- predation
- coastal waters
- fishing strategy
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: The Heron's Plan
Places: coastal waters
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