Great Blue Heron

The Great Blue Heron

By Ethan Brady

The Great Blue Heron 

Its scientific name is called Ardea Herodias. They both mean heron but in two different languages. Ardea is the Latin name for Heron and Herodias is the Greek work for Heron. To know the difference between a male and a female great blue heron you have to look at the size because they are not sexually dimorphic, which means that they both look the same. The male weighs around 6 to 8 ibs and the female weighs 4 1/2 to 6 lbs. Their necks are really long and they kind of look similar to a crane and a swan. When flying they curl their necks to an 's' shape. They also have a shaggy chest, head, and wing plumes. About its shaggy chest, they have specialized feathers on their chest that grow continuously. That's why its chest is so shaggy. These birds create mating colonies in may and June. During breeding season in every colony they form breeding groups that will stay together. The males put on a show for the females to fall in love with them. Thy either fly in a 360 degree angle, call loudly, and fight with other males to get a girl. When it feels the need to scratch its head it stands on one foot to scratch it and by lifting one leg over a closed wing, erecting its crest feathers, and lowering and twisting its head into a position it can be reached. Whenever it preens it does it by using its bill on the feathers. They sunbathe by opening its wings to get the inside part to radiate body heat on sunny days and absorb solar radiation on cool days. At night they sleep in trees with dense foliage, which is the leaves of a plant and tree. In winter time most of them move to somewhere that has nice weather, such as Florida, the Caribbean, the Pacific, and the Northwest. They are around areas that have fresh and saltwater, grasslands, and agricultural fields. They live in these areas for easy access for food. Their favorite food is frogs, which is why most of them live in fresh and saltwater areas mainly. They eat a whole lot of things like fish, insects, mammals, amphibians, crustaceans, and other birds as well. They only eat the small types of birds. Frogs are their favorite amphibians to eat. Its population in North America is very stable. Due to its wide distribution, varied diet, and flexibility in nesting near both fresh and saltwater environments. In New Jersey, it is classified as a species of special concern, which means it is not yet endangered or threatened. Their wingspan is 6 ft which explains why they look so big. They hunt in shallow water and eats whatever it can catch. Some people refer to them as cranes but they are wrong. It may look like one because of its size and long neck but cranes have shorter beaks and hold their necks straight. Finally, they are the biggest herons in North America.