The Great Blue Heron
The Great Blue Heron is the largest of the North American herons, dwarfing other herons as well as its closest relatives, the egrets and bitterns.
Lunch time!
Description
The Great Blue Heron stands four feet tall and has a wingspan of more than six feet. Its plumage is blue-gray with black flight feathers. Its face is nearly white and it has a pair of black plumes running from the just above the eye to the back of its head. It has a long, pointed yellow beak. The feathers on its base of its neck are long and ruffled. During breeding season ruffled plumes appear on its back. Its beak and legs take on an orange hue as well.The immature bird is duller in color. It has a blackish-gray crown and no plumes. The bill and legs are a dull gray-yellow.
The Great White Heron was thought to be another species but has since been reclassified as a white variation of the Great Blue Heron.
Great Blue Heron
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Range and Habitat
The Great Blue Heron can be found throughout most of North America, including Alaska and Canada. Its range extends south through Central America and into South America. It is a wader and can be found in habitats that allow for that, fresh and saltwater marshes, swamps, flooded meadows, lake edges and shorelines. They usually nest in trees or bushes close to the water's edge. Did you know?
The Great Blue Heron is known by several names such as Big Cranky, Blue Crane, Long John, and Poor Joe.
Shorebirds
Mating and Nesting
The Great Blue Heron nest in a colony comprised of a variety of different waders. The rookery as it is called can hold up to 500 nests but average around 160 mated pairs. The colony is situated in trees close to a lake or other wetlands.The nest is built with sticks and is big and bulky. The female lays 3 to 6 pale blue eggs that are incubated for approximately 28 days. The chicks hatch over several days. The chicks are feed regurgitated food by both the male and the female. At around 60 days old the young fledge, but they return to the nest and are fed by the adults for another couple of weeks.
Pair bonds last throughout the breeding season but part once the fledglings leave the nest. New pair bonds will be formed the following breeding season.
Great Blue heron
Diet
When it comes to diet, the Great Blue Heron is highly adaptable. They prefer fish, but will eat reptiles, invertebrates, small mammals, even other birds. They will fish for food both day and night. It will stand in the water, watch and wait. Once the fish moves into striking range, it grabs it.In some of the northern climes, the Great Blue Heron will hunt on land as well. Voles and mice make up a large part of its diet in the winter.
Did You Know?
The Great Blue Heron will join a colony to nest, but they are solitary hunters.
Voice
The Great Blue Heron's call is a harsh croak. They are vocal during breeding season, but largely silent the rest of the time. However, they are vocal when disturbed or if there are territorial disputes.Great Blue Heron: Sound Byte
Migration
Birds in the northern part of their range will migrate to Central America or the northern part of South America, but Great Blue Herons residing in temperate climate are frequently year-round residents. Interesting Trivia
The white form of the Great Blue Heron, known as the Great White Heron, is usually found in shallow salt water marshes along the coast of southern Florida.Great Blue Herons are opportunistic feeders. They often congregate near fish hatcheries which creates problems for the fish farmers. The Great Blue is a large bird and can eat a lot of fish.
Unlike many of its smaller brethren, the Great Blue Heron population is thriving.
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Lizzy's Lensography's
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Busy Lizzy's Backyard Birds
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As we go through life, some sights and events have a profound impact on our lives, while others flitter past unnoticed. Some passions can be traced back to that single pivotal point while others grow seemingly unnoticed for years. I am a morning pers...
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Busy Lizzy's Birds of Prey
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Birds of Prey or Raptors are birds that usually hunt on the wing. They use their keen sense of sight to spot prey, swoop down, and capture it. They usually have large, powerful beaks and talons for tearing and piercing the flesh of their prey.
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Busy Lizzy's Aquatic Birds
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Aquatic birds live on or near bodies of water. They acquire their food from the water, the shorelines, or animals within the same region. They include seabirds, such as gulls, pelicans, albatrosses, and ducks, swans and geese.
Have you seen any interesting birds lately?
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stargazer00
We live in the pacific northwest on a creek and we have one blue heron that fishes our creek. The first time I saw him fly I was amazed. He looks like a pterodactyl! Sometimes he struts across the yard. Fun to watch. Nice lens. 5* Posted August 31, 2008 |
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poddys
Lovely lens, and a lovely bird. 5***** We have a few Blue Herons on the lake at the condos where I live in South Florida. Posted July 04, 2008 |
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59rjv
Great lens. We see Great Blue Herons and Egrets in our area (Southern New Jersey, near Philadelphia). They're just amazing to watch. Love the photos! Posted July 01, 2008 |
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Noadi
There's a great blue heron that lives near me (I assume it's only one, could be a pair and I only see one at a time) and it's amazing every time I see it. They are truly beautiful birds. 5 stars and a lensroll to my pheasants. Posted June 20, 2008 |
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SherryHolderHunt
Great lens, I am partial to birds and this one is so elegant. We have finches, cardinals, mocking birds, blue jays, wood peckers and hummingbirds that we feed. They are so fun to watch. Can't wait to check out your other lenses. Posted June 03, 2008 |
Popular Bird Blogs
Resources used to construct this page.
Peterson, T.P. & Peterson, V.M. 2002. Birds of Eastern and Central North America, Fifth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, N.Y.
Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology
Seattle Audubon Society
Birds of Nova Scotia
