Birds of North AmericaGreat Blue HeronArdea herodias
A juvenile Great Blue Heron hunting for food in a canal on Merritt Island, near Titusville, Florida, USA.
A Great Blue Heron standing on a small island along the Esquimalt Causeway, near Victoia, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
A very large Great Blue Heron standing in shallow waters on Merritt Island, near Titusville, Florida, USA.
A Great Blue Heron flying across the South Nation River in Casselman, Ontario, Canada.
A Great Blue Heron flying with nesting material at Gatorland, near Orlando, Florida, USA.
A side view of a Great Blue Heron, flying alongside the Beamish Lake, in Chelsea, Quebec, Canada. Life, Habitat & Picture of the Great Blue Heron
Written by: Bruce Di Labio French: Grand Héron Measuring an average of 117 cm., the Great Blue Heron, is the largest heron in North America.
Locally it is mistakenly referred to as a “crane”, though it is not related to the crane family. In breeding plumage, the Great Blue Heron is gray-blue with a white head, marked with black stripes.
In Florida, a white form of the Great Blue, called the Great White Heron, occurs in The Keys. Once considered a separate species, it is now a subspecies.
The Great Blue Heron is widespread and a very familiar bird across North America. Northern populations are migratory and spend winters in the Caribbean or Central America.
In summer months, when feeding, it can be found standing motionless in streams, creeks, swamps, marshes and even open fields patiently awaiting its next meal. The diet of the Great Blue Heron is highly variable and adaptable, including fish, frogs, salamanders, turtles, snakes, insects, rodents and birds. It has been seen stalking meadow voles and Eastern Chipmunks and particularly enjoys cleaning out fish stock in backyard ponds.
The heron nests in various-sized colonies. The nests are a platform structure made from sticks and small branches and can be found in the upper parts of trees and shrubs. An average clutch generally consists of 3-5 pale, greenish-blue eggs and is incubated by both parents for about 4 weeks. Both parents feed the young by regurgitation and young are capable of flight at 2 months.
Return Great Blue Heron back to Herons Classic Collection of North American Birds
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