Heron

• 

• 

• 

Great Blue Heron

Great blue herons are very distinct-looking birds. They have long, thin legs with a long, bendy neck and a long, sharp beak. They are large birds that can grow up to four feet tall with a wing-span between five and a half and six and a half feet! Their bills are a distinct yellow colour and their body feathers are a light blue-grey. Herons are very quiet birds: usually you won’t even hear them flap their huge wings when they fly. When they do speak up, they almost sound more like a dog barking than a majestic bird calling!

• Great blue heron distinct bird call: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf4aTWTyGu8

Range and Habitat    

Great blue herons can be found in almost any kind of wetland (saltwater or freshwater). They make their way south in the winter. Their southern range stretches from southern New England to northern South America. They especially love hunting around intertidal bays and mudflats. They come back to Nova Scotia in the summer, usually arriving around March.  Most of these herons nest in colonies in remote locations. In fact, up to 70% of all herons in Nova Scotia nest together on remote islands. Great blue herons make their nests with sticks and different kinds of vegetation high up in trees. They are not fussy about which species of trees they choose to call home. These birds have been found nesting both alone or in large colonies. Strangely enough, we do not know what makes the individual birds decide if they want to nest alone or in a group. There are some advantages to the group nesting such as stronger defence against predators and a more communal effort in finding food. That being said, there are still many great blue herons who simply choose to remain alone when nesting.

Predators and Diet

In most of their northern range, great blue herons don’t have many natural predators because they are so large. In Nova Scotia the only predators that have been seen to go after adult blue herons are bald eagles. Besides that, the main predation on these birds is on their young and their eggs. Turkey vultures, crows, ravens, hawks, racoons and even black bears all love to eat great blue heron eggs. Both the mom and dad herons will stay at the nest to defend it. They hunt to bring food back to the nest when the babies hatch. In Nova Scotia, this happens anytime between April and August. These unique-looking birds are shaped the way they are for a reason: they use all of their strange features to help them hunt for food! Their long legs work like stilts, so they are able to stand and walk quietly through calm waters. Their long necks can reach down deep into the water. Finally, their long, sharp beaks are used like a spear or harpoon, to stab into the water and catch their prey. The prey they are looking for include a variety of fish, frogs, snakes and salamanders, found in saltwater or freshwater.

• Great blue heron fishing for food: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKqvEsPehiU

–Matthew Freeman