A Giant Made of Air
Four feet tall, a wingspan over six feet — and a body weight of only five to six pounds. Hollow bones make the giant possible.
QUICK FACTS
The Great Blue Heron
The short version — for the full story, see the Field Guide.
The Bird Itself
Blue-Gray, Not Blue
Despite the name, the plumage is mostly slate gray with a chestnut-and-black shoulder, a white face, and a black plume above the eye.
The Folded Neck
Herons fly with the neck coiled into an “S” and legs trailing behind. Cranes fly neck-out. It is the quickest way to tell them apart.
A Comb on Its Toe
Powder-down feathers crumble into a cleansing powder that soaks up fish slime; the heron combs it through with a fringed claw.
The Hunter
Built Like a Spear
Modified neck vertebrae give the strike its speed — the neck coils and fires like a loaded spring.
The Statue Act
A hunting heron may stand motionless for minutes, letting fish forget it is there. Patience is the whole strategy.
Not Just Fish
Fish lead the menu, but herons also take frogs, snakes, crayfish, insects, small birds, and a surprising number of gophers and voles.
Cold Water Specialist
Great blues winter farther north than any other heron, needing only open water to fish.
Courtship & the Rookery
The Neighborhood
Herons nest in treetop colonies — rookeries — from a handful of nests to several hundred, often on islands or flooded groves.
The Stick Ceremony
The male gathers sticks one at a time and presents each to the female, who weaves them into the nest.
Pale Blue Beginnings
The female lays two to six pale, dusty-blue eggs. Both parents incubate for about four weeks.
Sixty Days to the Sky
Young herons make their first flights at about two months old, then return for a few more weeks of free meals.
Survival
Everywhere There's Water
The great blue is North America's largest and most widespread heron, from Alaska to the Caribbean.
The Hard First Year
More than half of young herons don't survive their first year. Those that make it can live 20 years or more.
Eagle Trouble
Bald eagles raid rookeries for eggs and chicks — and can drive a whole colony to relocate.
Wetlands Are Everything
The heron's future rides on wetlands. Protect the marshes and river bottoms, and you protect the heron.