📷 (c) Cathy Bester, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) · CC BY NC
📷 (c) mostbittern, some rights reserved (CC BY)
📷 (c) Mary Keim, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
IUCN: Least Concern
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
KingdomAnimalia›PhylumChordata›ClassAves›OrderPelecaniformes›FamilyArdeidae›GenusArdea
About
Great blue herons stalk slowly through shallow water before striking fish and frogs with a rapid thrust of the bill. They nest in colonies called rookeries, often high in trees near wetlands. Their broad habitat tolerance makes them a familiar indicator of healthy aquatic food webs.
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Freshwater and coastal marshes, lakes, rivers, mangroves, and shorelines
🍃Diet Carnivore — fish, frogs, crustaceans, reptiles, small mammals, and birds
📏Size & Weight Body 91–137 cm; wingspan 167–201 cm
•weight 1.8–3.6 kg
⏳Lifespan 15 years or more
🗺Range North and Central America, Caribbean, and northern South America
BirdWading Bird
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Freshwater and coastal marshes, lakes, rivers, mangroves, and shorelines
🍃Diet Carnivore — fish, frogs, crustaceans, reptiles, small mammals, and birds
📏Size & Weight Body 91–137 cm; wingspan 167–201 cm
•weight 1.8–3.6 kg
⏳Lifespan 15 years or more
🗺Range North and Central America, Caribbean, and northern South America
Photo Credits
#1(c) Cathy Bester, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) · CC BY NC
#2(c) mostbittern, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY
#3(c) Mary Keim, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA) · CC BY NC SA
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