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This article is about the bird. For the Music Festival, see The Great Blue Heron Music Festival. The Great Blue Heron Music Festival is an annual festival held the first or second weekend of July in Sherman, New York, a small town in the Amish country
Great Blue Heron

Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Ciconiiformes
Family: Ardeidae
Genus: Ardea
Species: A. The conservation status of a Species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future Least Concern ( LC) is an IUCN category assigned to extant species or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. Traditionally the order Ciconiiformes has included a variety of large long-legged wading birds with large bills Storks Herons Egrets The herons are wading Birds in the Ardeidae family Some are called Egrets or Bitterns instead of herons Ardea is a Genus of Herons Linnaeus named this genus as the Great Herons, referring to the generally large size of these herodias
Binomial name
Ardea herodias
Linnaeus, 1758

The Great Blue Heron , Ardea herodias, is a wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common over most of North and Central America as well as the West Indies and the Galápagos Islands, except for the far north and deserts and high mountains where there is no water for it to feed in. Carl Linnaeus (Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as, May 23 new style (13 May old style 1707 who laid the foundations for Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. The herons are wading Birds in the Ardeidae family Some are called Egrets or Bitterns instead of herons The herons are wading Birds in the Ardeidae family Some are called Egrets or Bitterns instead of herons The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting It is an extremely rare vagrant to Europe, with records from Spain, the Azores and England.

It is the largest North American heron, with a head-to-tail length of 91–137 cm (36-54 in), a wingspan of 180 cm (71 in), and a weight of 2. The herons are wading Birds in the Ardeidae family Some are called Egrets or Bitterns instead of herons The wingspan (or just span) of an airplane or a Bird, is the distance from the left wingtip to the right wingtip 2–3. 6 kg (4. 8-8 lbs). It is blue-gray overall, with black flight feathers, red-brown thighs, and a paired red-brown and black stripe up the flanks; the neck is rusty-gray, with black and white streaking down the front; the head is paler, with a nearly white face, and a pair of black plumes running from just above the eye to the back of the head. Flight feathers are the long stiff asymmetrically shaped but symmetrically paired Feathers on the Wings or Tail of a Bird; those on the The feathers on the lower neck are long and plume-like; it also has plumes on the lower back at the start of the breeding season. The bill is dull yellowish, becoming orange briefly at the start of the breeding season, and the lower legs gray, also becoming orangey at the start of the breeding season. Immature birds are duller in color, with a dull blackish-gray crown, and the flank pattern only weakly defined; they have no plumes, and the bill is dull gray-yellow. [1][2][3]

There are five subspecies:[1]

The subspecies differ only slightly in size and plumage tone, with the exception of subspecies occidentalis, which as well as normal colored birds, also has a distinct a white morph, known as the Great White Heron. Polymorphism in biology occurs when two or more clearly different Phenotypes exist in the same population of a species — in other words the occurrence of more than one This was long thought to be a separate species, and is mainly found near salt water. Birds intermediate between the normal morph and the white morph are known as Wurdemann's Heron; in these only the head is white.

The call is a harsh croak; they are most vocal during the breeding season, but will call occasionally at any time of the year in territorial disputes or if disturbed.

Great Blue Heron call

Four calls of the Great Blue Heron
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Contents

Habitat

The Great Blue Heron is found throughout most of North America, including Alaska, British Columbia, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Alaska ( Аляска Alyaska) is a state in the United States of America, in the northwest of the North American continent British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk New Brunswick ( French: Nouveau-Brunswick /nuvobʁɔnzwik/ is one of Canada 's three Maritime provinces and is the only constitutionally Nova Scotia (ˌnəʊvəˈskəʊʃə ( Latin for New Scotland; Alba Nuadh Nouvelle-Écosse is a Canadian province located on Canada 's The range extends south through Florida, Mexico and the Caribbean to South America. Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a Great Blue Herons can be found in a range of habitats, in fresh and saltwater marshes, mangrove swamps, flooded meadows, lake edges, or shorelines, but they always live near bodies of water. In Geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of Wetland which is subject Mangroves (generally are Trees and Shrubs that grow in saline coastal habitats in the Tropics and Subtropics. A shore or shoreline is the fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water such as an Ocean, Sea, or Lake. Generally, they nest in trees or bushes near a body of water.

Diet

A heron eating a small fish, their main prey.
A heron eating a small fish, their main prey.

The primary food for Great Blue Heron is small fish, though they are also known to eat shellfish, insects, rodents, amphibians, reptiles, and small birds. Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two Shellfish is a Culinary and Fisheries term for those aquatic Invertebrate animals that are used as Food: various species of molluscs Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described Rodentia is an order of Mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously-growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must Prehistoric amphibian Amphibians (class Amphibia such as Frogs Toads Salamanders Newts Gymnophiona, Sirens and Reptiles, or members of the class Reptilia are air-breathing Cold-blooded Vertebrates that have skin covered in scales as opposed to hair or feathers [4] It is generally a solitary feeder. Individuals usually forage while standing in water, but will also forage in fields or drop from the air, or a perch, into water. As large wading birds, Great Blue Herons are able to feed in deeper waters, and thus are able to exploit a niche not open to most other heron species.

It feeds in shallow water or at the water's edge during both the night and the day, but especially around dawn and dusk. Herons locate their food by sight and generally swallow it whole. Herons have been known to choke on prey that is too large. It uses its long legs to wade through shallow water, and spears fish or frogs with its long, sharp bill. Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two This article is about the block cipher algorithm For the ultrafast laser pulse measurement technique see Frequency-resolved optical gating.

Breeding

Great Blue Herons at the nest
Great Blue Herons at the nest

This species usually breeds in monospecific colonies, in trees close to lakes or other wetlands; often with other species of herons. In Zoology, "monospecific" is an Adjective describing a Genus which contains only one known Species. In Biology, a colony (from Latin colonia) refers to several individual Organisms of the same Species living closely together usually

These groups are called heronry (a more specific term than "rookery"). A Heronry is a breeding ground for Herons sometimes called a heron Rookery. A rookery is a colony of breeding animals The term is most commonly applied to the nesting place of Birds such as the Crow and rook, a bird similar The size of these colonies may be large, ranging between 5–500 nests per colony, with an average of approximately 160 nests per colony.

Great Blue Herons build a bulky stick nest, and the female lays three to six pale blue eggs. A bird nest is the spot in which a Bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young In most Birds and Reptiles an egg ( Latin ovum) is the Zygote, resulting from Fertilization of the Ovum. One brood is raised each year. In Biology, offspring are the product of Reproduction, a new Organism produced by one or more Parents Collective offspring may be known If the nest is abandoned or destroyed, the female may lay a replacement clutch. A clutch of eggs refers to all the eggs produced by one Bird or Reptile at a single time particularly Reproduction is negatively affected by human disturbance, particularly during the beginning of nesting. Reproduction is the Biological process by which new individual Organisms are produced Repeated human intrusion into nesting areas often results in nest failure, with abandonment of eggs or chicks.

Both parents feed the young at the nest by regurgitating food. Regurgitation is the controlled flow of Stomach contents back into the Esophagus and Mouth. Parent birds have been shown to consume up to four times as much food when they are feeding young chicks than when laying or incubating eggs.

Eggs are incubated for approximately 28 days[5] and hatch asynchronously over a period of several days. Incubation is the process by which Birds hatch their eggs, and to the development of the Embryo within the egg The first chick to hatch usually becomes more experienced in food handling and aggressive interactions with siblings, and so often grows more quickly than the other chicks.

Migration

Birds east of the Rocky Mountains in the northern part of their range are migratory and winter in Central America or northern South America. Mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a Mountain range in western North America. Bird migration refers to the regular seasonal journeys undertaken by many species of Birds Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a From the southern United States southwards, and on the Pacific coast, they are year-round residents. The Southern United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South &mdashconstitutes a large distinctive A country's Pacific coast is the part of its Coast facing the Pacific Ocean. [1] However their hardiness is such that individuals often remain through cold northern winters, as well.

It has been recorded as a vagrant in Greenland, Hawaii, and the Azores. Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat meaning "Land of the Greenlanders" Grønland is a self-governing Danish Province located between the The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the The Azores ( Açores ɐˈsoɾɨʃ or) is a Portuguese Archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, about 1500 km (950  mi) from [1]

Similar species

The Great Blue Heron is replaced in the Old World by the very similar Grey Heron, which differs in being somewhat smaller (90–98 cm), with a pale gray neck and legs, lacking the browner colors that Great Blue Heron has there. The Old World consists of those parts of Earth known to Europeans Asians and Africans in the 15th century The Grey Heron ( Ardea cinerea) is a wading Bird of the Heron family Ardeidae native throughout temperate Europe and Asia It forms a superspecies with this and also with the Cocoi Heron from South America, which differs in having more extensive black on the head, and a white breast and neck. In Biology, a cryptic species complex is a group of Species which satisfy the biological definition of species that is they are reproductively isolated from each UserPolbot. --> The Cocoi Heron ( Ardea cocoi) is a species of Heron in the Ardeidae family South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a

The "Great White Heron" could be confused with Great Egret but is larger, with yellow legs as opposed to the Great Egret's black legs. The Great Egret Ardea alba, also known as the Great White Egret, or Common Egret, is a wading Egret, found in most of the tropical and The Reddish Egret and Little Blue Heron could be mistaken for the Great Blue Heron, but are smaller, and lack white on the head and yellow in the bill. The Reddish Egret ( Egretta rufescens) is a small Heron. It is a resident breeder in Central America, the Caribbean and the southern The Little Blue Heron, Egretta caerulea, is a small Heron. It breeds from the Gulf states of the USA through Central America and the

Gallery

Eating a snake

In flight

Ardea herodias in the Galapagos

In a tree

Profile

In Everglades National Park

At the San Diego Zoo

Neck extended

A Great Blue Heron at a beach in Tarpon Springs, Florida

A heronry may contain up to 500 nests. Everglades National Park is a national park in the US state of Florida. The San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California is one of the largest most progressive Zoos in the world with over 4000 animals

Three Great Blue Heron chicks with parents in nest

Flight is strong, with slow, regular strokes.

February river, London, Ontario, resident showing winter hardiness

The nest. The chick on the right-hand side is showing his tongue

References

  1. ^ a b c d del Hoyo, J. The tongue is the large bundle of Skeletal muscles on the floor of the Mouth that manipulates Food for chewing and swallowing (deglutition , Elliott, A. , & Sargatal, J. , eds. (1992). Handbook of the Birds of the World Vol. 1. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona ISBN 84-87334-10-5.
  2. ^ Sibley, D. (2000). The Sibley Guide to Birds. National Audubon Society ISBN 0-679-45122-6
  3. ^ Dickinson, M. B. et al. , eds. (1999). Field Guide to the Birds of North America. National Geographic ISBN 0-7922-7451-2.
  4. ^ Hinterland Who's Who - Great Blue Heron. Canadian Wildlife Service. Retrieved on 2007-11-23. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 800 - Charlemagne arrives at Rome to investigate the alleged crimes of
  5. ^ Great Blue Heron

External links

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