Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)


Family: Ardeidae

Habitat: Found in fresh- and salt-water habitats, along lakes, rivers, ponds, lagoons, seacoasts, and on mudflats; occasionally forages in agricultural fields.

Distribution: Breeds south of a line running from Nova Scotia through southern Quebec, northern Ontario, northern Manitoba, central Saskatchewan, and northern Alberta to southern British Columbia; breeding range on the Pacific coast also includes all of coastal British Columbia and the southern coast of Alaska (A.O.U. 1998). Resident in the southern portion of its range; northern populations are migratory.

Field Marks: Our largest heron; generally grayish-blue in color. White head contrasts with conspicuous black stripe above eye. Two additional color phases are known: an all white form, which is found in southern Florida, and a form which is grayish-blue in color but has an all white head and is found primarily in the Florida Keys.

Nest Habits: Breeds in colonies, usually in association with other herons and egrets. Nest is placed on the ground or, more typically, up to 130 feet high in tree and consists of a platform of sticks lined with twigs, mosses, pine needles, grasses, and leaves.

Eggs: 1-7, usually 3-5; 64 millimeter; pale bluish-green in color.

Incubation: Both parents incubate the eggs and care for the young. Incubation usually lasts about 28 days, and young are able to fly when they are approximately 56-60 days old.