Great blue heron

Ardea herodias

A large North American heron of shorelines and wetlands, using long legs and a dagger bill to hunt in shallow water.

Key facts

Great blue heron (Ardea herodias) is a carnivore animal classified as Bird · Pelecaniformes · Ardeidae.
Primary habitats are freshwater · coast, with a range across Nearctic · Neotropical.
Activity is diurnal, sociality is solitary, and conservation status is LC (Least Concern).
A large North American heron of shorelines and wetlands, using long legs and a dagger bill to hunt in shallow water.
Lives along rivers, lakes, marshes, tidal flats, coasts, and mangroves, adapting to both fresh and salt water.

Habitat range map

Native rangeOccasional / Transient

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Lives along rivers, lakes, marshes, tidal flats, coasts, and mangroves, adapting to both fresh and salt water.

The back is blue-gray, the neck is long, and black head plumes trail from the crown. In flight, the neck is folded in an S shape.

It often stands alone and strikes quickly when prey comes close. During breeding, many pairs may nest in colonies.

Fish dominate the diet, with frogs, crustaceans, small mammals, reptiles, and insects also taken.

Adults build large stick nests in trees or shrubs and feed chicks by regurgitating fish and other prey.

It is common around suburban ponds and coasts, acting as a conspicuous top predator in shallow-water food webs.