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The great blue heron's niche in the Old World is filled by the congeneric grey heron (Ardea cinerea), which is somewhat smaller (90–98 cm (35–39 in)), and sports a pale gray neck and legs, lacking the brown hues of the great blue heron. The great blue heron forms a superspecies with the grey heron which also includes the cocoi heron of ...
If you spot a great blue heron, here are some helpful tips for expert bird watching, and a few things you definitely should not do.
Across the river on the north bank is the rookery. Annually, these great birds return to nest. The great blue heron is the largest of the North American heron families. They stand 4 feet (1.2 m) tall and have a wingspan of 7 feet (2.1 m). It is best to visit with a ranger on a guide walk as the birds can be hard to find, high in their nests. [3]
Nankeen night heron: Nycticorax caledonicus (Gmelin, JF, 1789) 29 Malayan night heron: Gorsachius melanolophus (Raffles, 1822) 30 Japanese night heron: Gorsachius goisagi (Temminck, 1836) 31 Capped heron: Pilherodius pileatus (Boddaert, 1783) 32 Whistling heron: Syrigma sibilatrix (Temminck, 1824) 33 Little blue heron: Egretta caerulea ...
The genus name comes from the Latin word ardea meaning "heron". [2] The type species was designated as the grey heron (Ardea cinerea) by George Robert Gray in 1840. [3] Some members of Ardea are clearly very closely related, such as the grey, great blue, and cocoi herons, which form a superspecies.
Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns tend to be shorter necked and more secretive. Members of Ardeidae fly with their necks retracted, unlike other long-necked birds such as storks, ibises, and spoonbills. American bittern, Botaurus lentiginosus (V) LC; Great blue heron, Ardea herodias (V) LC
The nests are large but often flimsy (depending on available vegetation around the nesting site), often measuring around 1 to 1.5 m (3.3 to 4.9 ft) in diameter. Eggs are pale blue, averaging 72 by 54 mm (2.8 by 2.1 in) and weighing around 108 g (3.8 oz). The clutch size can range from 2 to 5 (usually 3 or 4). Incubation lasts 24 to 30 days.
A beaver pond along Ellerbe Creek is home to a thriving population of great blue herons and egrets. One day a road could cut through it. State proposes preserving Durham heron nesting grounds.