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[title size=”2″]Great Blue Heron[/title]

The great blue heron is the largest of the herons in North America and belongs to the heron family, ardeidae. It is on average 3.2 to 4.5 feet tall with a wingspan from 5.5 to 6.6 feet wide. Great blue herons are a grayish-blue color and they have a wide black stripe that extends over the eye. They have long legs and a thick neck with an equally thick pointed bill. The plumage around its head, neck and chest give it a shaggy appearance. The great blue heron is often spotted standing majestically still as it stalks its prey in either shallow waters or open fields. It may also wade slowly with long calculated steps before attacking. Despite this appearance of leisure and languidness, the great blue heron can move extremely fast to catch its prey, which range from fish to gophers. They eat nearly everything and anything including fish, reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, insects, and other birds.

As a great blue heron flies, its head curls into its body in an S-shape and their wings beat in a deliberate slow, rhythmic pattern. They tend to hunt alone but they breed in colonies, which are also known as heronries. They may nest in tall trees or low shrubberies. Female herons lay 2 to 7 eggs at a time that are protected and incubated by both parents. Young herons require about two months before they can begin to survive on their own. Great blue herons can be found throughout most of North America in both saltwater and freshwater habits. In the Ozark Mountains, they can often be seen near marshes, riverbanks, ponds, and grasslands. Their grace and beauty are worth a few minutes’ contemplation if you happen to come across one in the wild.

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Ardea herodias

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