Description:
Great Blue Herons may grow to be 38 inches in length,
and may stand close to four feet tall with neck
extended. Both males and females have a white head,
gray neck, and sky blue body. Great Blues have a
long, sharp, yellowish bill. A conspicuous black
tuft of feathers extends from above the eye past
the head. Great Blue Herons also have black streaks
on the neck. Legs are long and pale pink. Females
and males look similar, though during breeding season
the male develops various plumes on his neck and
body.
Status/Habitat:
The Great Blue Heron is one of the most common,
widespread, and recognizable herons in the United
States. Great Blues may be found wherever there
is water, including neighborhood ponds, streams,
marshes and lakes. Great Blue Herons are normally
the only herons that can be found during winter
in the northern states.
Range:
Great
Blue Herons breed across the United States in suitable
habitat, but are particularly common in the Chesapeake
Bay region (nearly half the total population of
Great Blue Herons nest in the Chesapeake), and the
Everglades region of Florida. Great Blue Herons
often nest in huge colonies. The Nanjemoy Creek
colony in Maryland has over 1,100 nests.
Diet/Hunting:
Great Blue Herons are formidable predators, and
stand motionless for minutes waiting for fish, frogs,
snakes, small turtles, and other aquatic life to
swim by before it strikes a quick, deadly jab with
its long, sharp bill. Great Blue Herons swallow
prey head first. They may even occasionally eat
birds and mice.
History:
While the Great Blue Heron is common today, it was
hunted extensively in late 1800's and early 1900's.
Like most herons and egrets, populations of Great
Blue Herons were decimated by hunters looking to
sell heron plumes for cooking utensils and fashion
decorations. In response, the federal government
issued the Lacey Act which prohibited the trade
of feathers. In 1918, Congress passed the Migratory
Bird Treaty Act which gave the government authority
to set limits on duck and heron hunting. Today,
populations of most herons and egrets are once again
stable.
