Short legs and an even shorter neck give the 'auku'u, or black-crowned night heron, a laid-back but regal look. However, this demeanor is misleading, for there is nothing relaxed about the way this water-loving bird attacks its prey. When hunting, the heron waits, patient and motionless, at the water’s edge until an unsuspecting fish, frog, mouse, insect, or small bird comes by. Then it snatches the prey with a quick strike of its long, sharp beak. Despite its name, the night heron also hunts in the early morning and at dusk, and spends its time in aquatic habitats from mountain streams to ponds and the shoreline. One of Hawai‘i’s few native waterbirds, the ‘auku‘u appears in the Kumulipo, the Hawaiian creation chant. Since much of its wetland habitat has been lost, it is often seen hunting in golf course ponds, fish farms, and even resort ponds, awaiting its next meal.