Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Order: Ciconiiformes        Family: Bitterns, Herons and Egrets (Ardeidae) 

The great blue heron is a fairly common bird of lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands. It stands about 4 feet tall when its long neck is extended. It breeds from Southern Canada and Alaska down into Mexico. This guy looks cold but they tolerate the cold well, spending winters as far north as southern Alaska. As long as they have open water to fish in, they’re happy. They feed on mostly fish, but also eat small amphibians like frogs and even occasionally a mouse or two that may be so unlucky as to wander too close. They generally breed in colonies known as rookeries. Their nests are built in trees. With a six foot wing span they are the largest of the herons in North America.