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Great Blue Heron ( Blue Heron )
The Great Blue Heron,
Ardea herodias, is a wading
bird of the
heron family
Ardeidae, common all over
North and
Central America as well as the
West Indies and the
Galápagos, except in deserts and high mountains where there is no water for
it to wade in. It is very similar to the
European
Grey Heron. This is the largest North American heron.
This species usually breeds in
colonies in trees close to lakes or other wetlands, often with other species of
herons. It builds a bulky stick nest. The female lays 3 to 5 pale blue
eggs. Both parents feed the young at the nest by regurgitating food.
It feeds in shallow water or at
the water's edge and spears
fish or
frogs with its long, sharp bill. Its varied diet can also include
insects,
snakes,
turtles,
rodents and small birds. It will also raid
goldfish ponds in back yards.
The Great Blue stands four feet
tall and has a seven-foot wingspan. They have a long yellow bill. Adults have
blue-grey wings and back and a white head with a black cap and a long black
plume. In flight, the long neck is held in an S-shape with the long legs
trailing behind. This bird flies with strong deliberate wing beats.
Birds east of the
Rockies in the northern part of their range are
migratory and winter in
Central America or northern
South America. In the southern
United States and on the
Pacific coast, they are year-round residents.
The call of this bird is a harsh
croak.
The Great White Heron,
which was long thought to be a separate species, is a white
morph of Great Blue which occurs in southern
Florida. It is mainly found near salt water. Wurdemann's Heron is an
intermediate morph, in which only the head is white.
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