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Birds
Great blue heron
Great blue heron · Ardea herodias
Majestic great blue heron: with blue-grey feathers and impressive size, it watches over quiet shores and shallow bays.
Fact file
- Size
- Body height 1 to 1.35 metres, wingspan about 1.80 to 2.00 metres, weight usually 2 to 3 kilograms
- Males and females
- Males and females are hardly distinguishable in appearance, males often minimally larger
- Sounds
- Harsh croaking calls, especially on take-off a rough "fraank"
- Diet
- Fish, amphibians, small mammals, occasionally insects and small birds
- Offspring
- Several greenish-blue eggs in a large colonial nest, breeding season usually April to June
How to identify Great blue heron
The great blue heron is striking with its mainly blue-grey plumage, accentuated on the neck and breast by long, wispy plumes. The head is whitish with a distinctive black stripe above the eye and two black head plumes. The dagger-shaped, yellowish bill immediately stands out.
With a body height of up to 1.35 metres and a wingspan of almost two metres, the great blue heron is the largest heron species in North America. In flight it is unmistakable thanks to its S-shaped retracted neck and slow wing beats. It can be confused with the grey heron, which is clearly smaller and appears less blue.
More in the app
With Wildful Stories+ you also get in the app:
- general viewing tips
- 3 places where you can see Great blue heron
Where Great blue heron live
Discover Great blue heron on your trip.
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