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Little Egret Begged for Fish and Stole Catches From Anglers in Yokohama

Little egret feeding in shallow water in Cyprus
Research · Behaviour

A single Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) in Yamazaki Park, Yokohama, repeatedly obtained fish from anglers by begging and by stealing catches from containers. The individually recognisable bird was observed on 12 occasions between March 2022 and April 2025, totalling 19.3 hours. Although at least five Little Egrets were recorded in and around the park, only this individual showed the behaviour.

The egret combined begging, theft and independent fishing

During about ten hours of detailed observation in March 2022, the egret received 25 small fish directly from anglers, stole 20 fish from containers and caught 46 fish independently. It often stayed beside anglers who had previously given it food and moved on when no fish were offered, suggesting that it distinguished between people who were more or less likely to provide food.

The bird also responded differently to different catches. Around 60 captures of large Japanese White Crucian Carp (Carassius cuvieri) produced no visible reaction because these fish were released immediately and were never offered to the egret. When anglers caught smaller fish that were sometimes given to it, the bird quickly approached. When food from anglers was scarce, it switched back to independent hunting using techniques including stirring the bottom with its feet, ambushing prey in narrow channels and taking fish from railings above inflowing water.

Internet records showed similar cases, not how common the behaviour is

The author also found at least 23 similar Internet records of Little Egrets associating with anglers in Japan, 19 of them from 2010 onward. He describes the combination of begging and stealing as “feeding parasitism” and places it within the broader concept of autolycism — gaining a benefit by using another animal, including humans. The online records were not collected systematically, so they show that the behaviour occurs elsewhere in Japan but not how common it is.

The behaviour appeared individual, but the learning process was not observed

Because only one of the local Little Egrets showed the behaviour, the author suggests that it may have been individually acquired rather than species-typical. The study did not observe the bird learning the behaviour, however, so the evidence demonstrates behavioural flexibility and repeated association with anglers rather than the learning process itself.

Sources and image credit

  1. Higuchi, H. (2026). Food begging and fish stealing from anglers by a Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) in urban Japan. Journal of Heron Biology and Conservation, 11:3.Primary research article. One individually recognisable Little Egret at Yamazaki Park in Yokohama was observed on 12 occasions between March 2022 and April 2025. During about ten hours of detailed observation it received 25 small fish from anglers, stole 20 from containers and caught 46 independently. Only one of at least five local Little Egrets showed the behaviour; at least 23 similar Internet records from Japan were reviewed.
  2. Hiroyoshi Higuchi — dated publication announcement, 31 July 2026Author’s dated record announcing publication of the Little Egret paper on 31 July 2026. Used to document the day-level publication date because the journal page itself lists volume and year but no explicit day.

Image: Charles J. Sharp — wild Little Egret feeding near Limassol, Cyprus, 7 August 2021. Source: Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0. Representative feeding image; not the Yokohama study individual. · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

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