The Black Heron, also known as the Black Egret, is an African bird with beautiful black feathers. Unlike some of the recent animals we've been talking about, the Black Heron will not sting you to death, will not parasitize you, and will definitely not attack your unmentionables. In fact, the Black Heron would appear to be a perfectly normal bird, but it has one of the most beautiful, elegant, and clever feeding techniques going.

A native of sub-Saharan Africa, including Madagascar, the Black Heron lives in and around wetlands, lagoons, and lake margins, especially on the eastern side of the continent. It feeds on all the usual things birds like, including insects, amphibians, and its favourite prey, fish.

You may be familiar with the classic heron method of fishing, in which it stands very still in the water on its long legs, waiting for a fish to swim past before darting in and grabbing it. The Black Heron is the eccentric genius of the family, and takes this one brilliant step further.

When hunting, the bird will wade into shallow waters, stand very still, and then fold its wings out in front of it to create, essentially, an umbrella shape out of its own body. It will lower this upside-down bowl shape onto the top of the water, with its head tucked in under its wings. To the outside world, it looks like a beautiful, feathery mound on the water, like something out of an opera or a myth.

But on the inside, the shade provided by the wings serves two awesome purposes. Not only does it shade the sun's glare from the water so that the bird can see beneath the surface more easily, it also creates a shady patch beneath the water. The exact sort of shady patch that fish seek for shelter and safety.

To increase its success even more, the Black Heron will often hunt near Spoonbills, which stir up the mud with their beaks in their own search for food. This sends any fish in the area scrambling for the nearest safe spot. A log ... an overhang ... the deadly trap created by a Black Heron's wings.

From there it's literally like shooting fish in a barrel. The fish swim into the nice, round shady spot cast by the bird's folded wings. With its head tucked beneath, the Black Heron can easily spot them and snatch them up at its leisure.

This unique and fascinating hunting strategy has earned the Black Heron the nickname "the Umbrella Bird". The technique itself has been called the parasol technique, shading, mantling, or canopy feeding.

Black Herons will eat by themselves or in groups of up to 50 other birds, dotting the waters with their devious shade-traps.

For coming up with such a clever hunting strategy, the Black Heron is officially awesome.