Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
Order: Ciconiiformes, Family: Ardeidae
There are several types of herons in the southeastern states: green heron, little blue heron, tricolored heron, yellow-crowned heron, black-crowned night heron and the great blue heron, which is one of the most prominent.
Approximately 4 feet high, the great blue heron is the largest heron in North America.
It has a wingspan of about 6 feet.
Above, the great blue heron is bluish gray, while its belly is black. Its head is white, with a black stripe along the sides of the crown. During the breeding season, this stripe extends to elongated black plumes.
I. DESCRIPTION:
- There are several types of herons in the southeastern states: green heron, little blue heron, tricolored heron, yellow-crowned heron, black-crowned night heron and the great blue heron, which is one of the most prominent.
- Approximately 4 feet high, the great blue heron is the largest heron in North America.
- It has a wingspan of about 6 feet.
- Above, the great blue heron is bluish gray, while its belly is black. Its head is white, with a black stripe along the sides of the crown. During the breeding season, this stripe extends to elongated black plumes.
II. GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE AND HABITAT:
- The great blue heron's range includes North and Central America, the Caribbean and Greater Antilles, and the Galapagos. Some populations migrate to the South American continent for winter.
- Great blue heron inhabit riverbanks, lake edges, marshes, saltwater shores and swamps. They usually nest in trees near water.
III. DIET:
- The great blue heron fishes both night and day, and is most active around dawn and dusk. The heron uses its long legs to wade in shallow water and its sharp "spearlike" bill to catch its food.
- It consumes fish, frogs, salamanders, lizards, snakes, shrimps, crabs, crayfish, dragonflies, grasshoppers and many aquatic insects.
IV. LIFE CYCLE/SOCIAL STRUCTURE:
- Breeding season lasts from March through May in the great blue heron's northern range, and from November through April in the southern.
- Females usually lay between three and seven eggs, with clutch size increasing from south to north. Chicks start to fly at about 2 months old.
V. SPECIAL NOTES/ADAPTATIONS:
- Compared with other kinds of herons, the great blue is relatively quiet. When disturbed in flight, it emits a soft "kraak." It also lets out a "fraunk" when disturbed near its nest, and greets other herons with an "ar."
- Great blue herons spend 90 percent of their day foraging for food.
- The great blue heron is the most well known and widespread heron in North America. Urbanization has led to the destruction of heron habitat. Every year, many herons die from flying into utility wires.
Related Content
 The Shoebill, Balaeniceps rex also known as Whalehead is a very large bird related to the storks. It derives its name from its massive shoe-shaped bill.
The Shoebill is a very large bird, averaging 1.2 m (4 ft) tall, 5.6 kg (12.3 lbs) and 2.33 m (7.7 ft) across the wings. The adult is mainly grey, the juveniles are browner. It lives in tropical east Africa, in large swamps from Sudan to Zambia...
|
 Order: Passeriformes, Family: Corvidae American Crows are native to the Nearctic region all over North America. They can be found in the lower part of Canada and through the continental United States.
Adult American Crows are completely black birds weighing on average 450 g. The feathers have a glossy and slightly iridescent look. Crows have strong legs and toes. The bill is also black with a slight hook on the end. Stiff bristles c...
|
 Order: Falconiformes, Family: Accipitridae Snail Kites can be found in both South and Central America. Some are also found in Mexico and Cuba. The United States also has a small population concentrated in Florida.
Mass: 340 to 567 g.
Snail kites are medium-sized hawks, weighing from 12-20 oz. They are about 14-16 inches long and have a wingspan of 43-36 inches. The females are very slightly smaller than the male.
|
 Order: Falconiformes, Family: Accipitridae The common black-hawk is found in the southwestern United States, throughout Mexico, Central America, and northern South America to Guyana. They can also be found in Cuba and The Isle of Pines.
Mass: 630 to 1,300 kg.
The common black-hawk averages 53 cm in length (21 inches) and has a wingspan of 127 cm (50 inches.) Like most other raptor species, common black-hawks are sexually dimorphic, wi...
|
 by David Rennie An army of 700,000 specially trained ducks and chickens has been mobilised to help fight China's biggest locust plague in 25 years. The birds, which are taught to pursue and eat locusts at the sound of a whistle, are part of a national campaign that includes 280,000 people backed by crop-dusting planes and special locust-killing micro-organisms imported from Britain. Swarms of locusts have d...
|
 Order: Passeriformes, Family: Corvidae Nearctic: Breeding range: The Gray Jay is found from tree line in northern Canada and Alaska south through boreal and subalpine forests to northern California on the west coast, Arizona and New Mexico in the Rocky Mountains, northern Wisconsin in the midwest, and New York in the east.
Winter range: The non-breeding range is essentially the same as the breeding range, as the Gray Jay does not mig...
|
|
Add Feedback