Great Blue Heron facts: not (technically) egrets, definitely not cranes | Animal Fact Files

Great blue herons are large birds, and are in fact the largest herons in North America! They may be mistakenly called cranes, but they aren't. Great blue herons live near slow moving or still water systems and gather in large groups during their breeding season in spring. Great blue herons are commonly seen perched in trees, flying overhead, or wading in water looking for a meal!

Scientific Name: Ardea herodias
Range: found mostly in North and Central America; can be seen in South America and parts of Europe
Size: 4 feet (1.2m) tall; 6 foot (1.8m) wingspans; 7 pounds (3.2kg) in weight
Diet: fish, frogs, snakes, salamanders, insects, rodents, other birds, etc.
Lifespan: 15+ years

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Image and Video Credits:

Research Credits:
(original video sources)
Collected 08/04/16
Collected 08/08/16

[lunalea]

Once you see one, u never forget it & I personally feel they show up in my life when I'm going thru rough patches, I enjoy seeing them by the Canals, thank u...😊🥳💙

[Allthingsmarinelife]

These birds always freaked me out, great video

[smokeyBREWER]

I feed one everyday his name is larry. Such a amazing bird. So glad i got the chance to actually be friends with a wild great blue heron.

[ToToWildlife]

It’s a beautiful bird and a great fisherman 👍

[lindseyfrancesco]

There's one of these living at a local park, any time I visit in the afternoon I can see it hanging out with the cormorants by the water's edge.

[soldtobediers]

Wife & I, both retired; try & have coffee with both the ingress & egress of their morning & evening on line flights. This helped in understanding more about these Blue Herons here in FW Texas. All I ever really knew about them; is what would come up in bass fishing the banks of our local lakes. Like the cliché comments between we fishermen, as how they are still alive because they are the greatest fisher's in the lake.

[dogcuseries]

Thanks for the info in this majestic big bird. Very informative.

[ShelbyOnSafari]

I had no idea their wingspan got up to 6 feet! Gee whiz! That's really cool about the subspecies in Florida! Thanks for another great video 💚

[ChrisMason.]

We have a protected wildlife area next to our house in the Okanagan in Vernon, BC. There’s about 20 of them at all times in their massive nests in the tops of their trees. Making their wretched sounds all night long haha. They are cool though.

[Col]

Very cool birds (as are all birds).
Thanks!

[AutoCrete]

About 5 or 6 miles from the nearest substantial body of water a very industrious lady built a very nice water feature including a 5 ft waterfall, in her back yard. She got the water suitable to sustain fish and started adding some. Her fish started to disappear and she wondered why? One morning she woke up early and looked out of the bedroom window that overlooked the back yard and saw a blue heron fishing for breakfast. That day she went to town and purchased several hundred feet of chicken wire. End of Heron poaching her fish.

[imkagurathewind]

I've seen 2 now!
One in Germantown and I'm assuming a different one near Sun prairie Wisconsin today!!
They really look so mean but at the same time so beautiful

[jonathanbrown]

thanks, can never know enough about bird life...

[tusk]

thank you. I like when small little details are added, In books it is usually always the same, Size, and weight. I was hooping to locate better details about the WHOOPING CRANE. Seen about 5-7 enjoying the thermal air, while doing their ballet dance. Sky was grey that day, but the sun managed to peek through giving the cranes the center stage light., Thanks again about the great Blue Heron..

[saifalmeslati]

Next can you do about t
Fishbowls. Not a specific subspecies

[thembiggates]

They r definitely rare and a good sign when you see one

[vernonfridy]

Alternatively, “egret” may refer to members of the genus Egretta, such as the Little Egret, Snowy Egret, and Little Blue Heron. In that case, neither the Great Blue Heron or the Great Egret are egrets. Instead, the common name for the genus those two species belong to, Ardea, is “great herons”.

[BoReads]

They're so cute. I got really close to them when I was on Orange Beach in Alabama.

[susiebeer]

I think I have one in my back yard, Indiana been standing here for over 20 mins next to the edge of my pond.
Is this common?

[Zug]

they always like their fish RAW RAW, thats what their calls sound like