by Luca Trotta
The Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) is the largest species of heron found in North America. It can be identified by its white head and neck, black stripe over the eye, and blue-gray body/wings, although what will likely catch your eye is the sheer size of the bird—potentially standing over 4 ft in height with a 5-6 ft wing-span! Great Blues can be found year-round throughout the majority of the United States, but can be also be found as far south as South America and as far north as coastal Alaska. Great Blue Herons belong to the family Ardeidae, the taxon consisting of herons, egrets, and bitterns. These birds are defined by their long legs/necks and pointed bills, which accommodate their feeding habits associated with both inland and coastal wetlands.
Great Blue Herons are carnivorous birds, using their long, harpoon-like bills to strike at fish, amphibians, reptiles, small mammals, large insects, and even other birds. This tall bird moves slowly or even remains still, stalking its prey, and ultimately striking with blinding speed. In flight, the bird will tuck its neck into an “S” shape and will trail its legs behind its body.
Great Blue Herons will breed with multiple mates throughout their lives but will remain with one bird as a pair throughout a breeding season. Like most other members of the Ardeidae family, the Great Blues will nest in colo-nies of up to hundreds of other birds. It tends to build stick nests in trees or bushes, but will also build them right on the ground depending on the surrounding area.
Clutch sizes of the bird typically range from 2-6 eggs per brood. The chicks are semi-altricial, meaning they hatch with their eyes open, but are dependent on their parents for feeding and other care until they grow large enough to care for themselves. The Great Blue Heron is listed by the IUCN Red List as a species of least concern. Humans have a limited impact on the bird and increasing temperatures are expanding the bird’s north-ern range within Canada.