The animal on the cover of Using SQLite is a great white heron (Ardea herodias occidentalis), a subspecies of the great blue heron. Long thought to be a separate species (a point still debated by some avian experts), it differs in that it has a longer bill, shorter plumes at the base of the head, and of course, all-white feathers. To add to the confusion, the great white egret has also been nicknamed great white heron—however, the egret’s legs are black instead of yellow-brown, and it lacks head plumes. Great white herons generally live near salt water, in the wetlands of the Florida Keys and the Caribbean. The main species also ranges throughout Mexico, Central America, and even Canada.
Fish make up the majority of a great white heron’s diet, though it is opportunistic and will also eat frogs, lizards, birds, small mammals, crustaceans, and aquatic insects. The heron mostly feeds in the morning and at dusk, when fish are most active. Equipped with long legs, the bird wades through the water and stands motionless until it sees something come within striking distance. It then snatches up the prey in its sharp bill, and swallows it whole. On occasion, herons have been known to choke on their meal if it is too large.
Though great white herons are solitary hunters, they gather in large colonies for breeding season, with anywhere from 5 to 500 nests. Males choose and defend a nesting spot, and put on noisy displays to attract females. The birds have one mate per year, and the male and female take turns incubating their clutch. After the eggs hatch, responsibility is still shared; both parents will eat up to four times as much food as normal, and regurgitate it for their chicks.
Great blue and great white herons range from 36–55 inches tall, with a wingspan of 66–79 inches. Accordingly, as adults, they have few natural predators due to their size. They’ve frustrated encroaching human civilization with their habit of helping themselves to carefully stocked fish ponds.
The cover image is from Cassell’s Natural History. The cover font is Adobe ITC Garamond. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont’s TheSansMonoCondensed.