The Great Blue Heron is a huge and gray bird, with massive bill, black crown stripe on whitish head. It is the largest Heron in North America. They stand up to 5 feet fall and have a wingspan of 6.5 feet. Exactly 39-52″ (99-132 cm). W. 5’10 (1.8 m). The wing shape is Broad, Fingered, Long, and Pointed with a short tail. You will likely see them poised at a river bend or cruising the coastline with slow, deep wingbeats, the Great Blue Heron is a majestic sight.
They may move slowly, but Great Blue Herons can strike like lightning to grab a fish or snap up a mammal. In flight, look for this widespread heron’s tucked-in neck and long legs trailing out behind. They can cruise 20-30 miles an hour. They can be found in marshes, swamps, shores, and tide flats. Very adaptable. Forages in any kind of calm fresh waters or slow-moving rivers, also in shallow coastal bays. Nests in trees or shrubs near water, sometimes on ground in areas free of predators. This birds predators can be Bears, racoons, coyotes, foxes, alligators and Bald Eagles.
You can hear their call very easily.
Great Blue Herons eat nearly anything within striking distance, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, small mammals, insects, and other birds. They grab smaller prey in their strong mandibles or use their dagger-like bills to impale larger fish, often shaking them to break or relax the sharp spines before gulping them down.
Great Blue Herons nest mainly in trees, but will also nest on the ground, on bushes, in mangroves, and on structures such as duck blinds, channel markers, or artificial nest platforms. They sometimes mix with other wading birds. Males arrive at the colony and settle on nest sites; from there, they court passing females. Colonies can consist of 500 or more individual nests, with multiple nests per tree built 100 or more feet off the ground.
NESTING FACTS
3-5eggs, sometimes 2-7. Pale blue. Incubation is by both sexes, 25-30 days.
Both parents feed young, by regurgitation. Young capable of flight at about 60 days, depart nest at about 65-90 days. 1 brood per year in north, sometimes 2 in south.
Great Blue Heron numbers are stable and increased in the U.S. between 1966 and 2019, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Partners in Flight estimates a global breeding population of 700,000 and rates the species 8 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score, indicating a species of low conservation concern.
Published by Melanie Jerome
Photographs provided by: Bob Mercer and Unknown
Research from All About Birds and Audobon Field Guide
This blog post is part of a series SIB will publish on a regular basis to feature birds seen in the area, both migratory and permanent residents. When possible we will use photographs taken by our members. Please let us know if you have any special requests of birds you would like to learn more about.
