Field Guide/Birds/Ardea herodias - Revision history

Jomegat: 145 revisions: re-import from WB, including edit history

2012-07-05T19:09:56Z

145 revisions: re-import from WB, including edit history

Jomegat: moved Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Nature/Birds/Great Blue Heron to Field Guide/Birds/Ardea herodias: move to FG

2010-10-14T00:28:57Z

moved Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Nature/Birds/Great Blue Heron to Field Guide/Birds/Ardea herodias: move to FG

New page

{{Bird id
| name = Great Blue Heron
| latin_name = Ardea herodias
| level = 4
| image_1 = Great blue heron - natures pics.jpg
| caption_1 = Great Blue Heron in flight
| image_2 = Great blue heron02 - natures pics.jpg
| caption_2 = Male (note the long black plume at the back of the head)
| image_3 = Ardea herodias 01997t.JPG
| caption_3 = Female
| range_map = Great_Blue_Heron-rangemap.gif
| call = Great Blue Heron.ogg
| description = The '''Great Blue Heron''', ''Ardea herodias'', is a wading bird of the heron family, common all over North and Central America as well as the West Indies and the Galápagos Islands, except in deserts and high mountains where there is no water for it to wade in. The Great Blue Heron is the largest heron in North America.

Adults have blue-grey wings and back and a white head with a black cap and a long black plume. The face is white, with a black streak extending from behind the eye to the back of the head. They have a long neck, streaked with white, rust-brown, and black, which is generally held in a s-curve while wading, and a short tail. The beak is yellow, long, and and tapers to a point. Legs are long, and greenish-yellow in color.

In flight, the head is held close to and aligned with the body by a downward bend in the long neck. The long legs trail behind. This bird flies with strong deliberate wing beats.

The males and females appear relatively similar, but males have a puffy plume of feathers behind their heads, and tend to be slightly larger than females.

It is found throughout most of North America, including Alaska, Quebec and Nova Scotia. The range extends south through Florida, Mexico and the Caribbean to South America. Great blue herons can be found in a range of habitats, in fresh and saltwater marshes, mangrove swamps, flooded meadows, rivers, lake edges, or shorelines, but they always live near bodies of water. Generally, they nest in trees or bushes that stand near water.

It feeds in shallow water or at the water's edge during both the night and the day, but especially around dawn and dusk. Herons locate their food by sight and generally swallow it whole. Herons have been known to choke on prey that is too large.It uses its long legs to wade through shallow water, and spears fish or frogs with its long, sharp bill. Its diet can also include insects, snakes, turtles, rodents and small birds.

It is generally a solitary feeder. Individuals usually forage while standing in water, but will also forage in fields or drop from the air, or a perch, into water. As large wading birds, Great Blue Herons are able to feed in deeper waters, and thus are able to exploit a niche not open to most other heron species.

This species usually breeds in colonies, in trees close to lakes or other wetlands; often with other species of herons. These groups are called heronry (more accurately than "rookery"). The size of these colonies may be large, ranging between 5 – 500 nests per colony, with an average of approximately 160 nests per colony.

Great Blues build a bulky stick nest, and the female lays three to six pale blue eggs. One brood is raised each year. If the nest is abandoned or destroyed, the female may lay a replacement clutch. Reproduction is negatively affected by human disturbance, particularly during the beginning of nesting. Repeated human intrusion into nesting areas often results in nest failure, with abandonment of eggs or chicks.

Both parents feed the young at the nest by regurgitating food. Parent birds have been shown to consume up to 4 times as much food when they are feeding young chicks than when laying or incubating eggs.

Eggs are incubated for approximately 28 days and hatch over a period of several days. The first chick to hatch usually becomes more experienced in food handling and aggressive interactions with siblings, and so often grows more quickly than the other chicks.

Birds east of the Rocky Mountains in the northern part of their range are bird migratory and winter in Central America or northern South America. From the southern United States southwards and on the Pacific coast, they are year-round residents.
}}<noinclude>[[Category:Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Transcluded Modules|{{FULLCHAPTERNAME}}]]</noinclude>

Jomegat: | level = 4

2007-03-28T01:35:33Z

| level = 4

Jomegat at 00:37, 24 March 2007

2007-03-24T00:37:55Z

Jomegat: dewikify

2007-03-24T00:36:27Z

dewikify

Show changes

Jomegat: Transwiki:Great Blue Heron moved to Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Nature/Birds/Great Blue Heron: adoption

2007-03-24T00:22:30Z

Transwiki:Great Blue Heron moved to Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Nature/Birds/Great Blue Heron: adoption

Jomegat: 137 revision(s) from :w:Great Blue Heron

2007-03-24T00:21:33Z

137 revision(s) from w:Great Blue Heron

New page

{{Taxobox
| color = pink
| name = Great Blue Heron
| status = LC
| image = Great blue heron - natures pics.jpg
| image_width = 250px
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]]
| classis = [[bird|Aves]]
| ordo = [[Ciconiiformes]]
| familia = [[Ardeidae]]|
| genus = ''[[Ardea (genus)|Ardea]]''
| species = '''''A. herodias'''''
| binomial = ''Ardea herodias''
| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[1758]]
| range_map = Great_Blue_Heron-rangemap.gif
| range_map_width = 250px
}}

The '''Great Blue Heron''', ''Ardea herodias'', is a wading [[bird]] of the [[heron]] family Ardeidae, common all over [[North America|North]] and [[Central America]] as well as the [[West Indies]] and the [[Galápagos Islands|Galápagos]], except in deserts and high mountains where there is no water for it to wade in. It is very similar to the [[Europe]]an [[Grey Heron]]. This is the largest North American heron.

== Appearance ==
The Great Blue Heron is the largest heron in North America, 60 tall in height, 132 cm (four feet) in length, with a 213 cm (seven-foot) wingspan and a weight of up to 2.5 kg.

Adults have blue-grey wings and back and a white head with a black cap and a long black [[plume]]. The face is white, with a black streak extending from behind the eye to the back of the head. They have a long neck, streaked with white, rust-brown, and black, which is generally held in a s-curve while wading, and a short tail. The beak is yellow, long, and and tapers to a point. Legs are long, and greenish-yellow in color.

In [[flight]], the head is held close to and aligned with the body by a downward bend in the long neck. The long legs trail behind. This bird flies with strong deliberate wing beats.

The [[males]] and [[females]] appear relatively similar, but males have a puffy plume of feathers behind their heads, and tend to be slightly larger than females.

== Habitat ==
It is found throughout most of North America, including Alaska, Quebec and Nova Scotia. The range extends south through Florida, Mexico and the Caribbean to South America. Great blue herons can be found in a range of habitats, in fresh and saltwater [[marshe]]s, [[mangrove]] swamps, flooded meadows, lake edges, or [[shoreline]]s, but they always live near bodies of water. Generally, they nest in trees or bushes that stand near water.

== Diet ==

It feeds in shallow water or at the water's edge during both the night and the day, but especially around dawn and dusk. Herons locate their food by sight and generally swallow it whole. Herons have been known to choke on prey that is too large.It uses its long legs to wade through shallow water, and spears [[fish]] or [[frog]]s with its long, sharp bill. Its diet can also include [[insect]]s, [[snake]]s, [[turtle]]s, [[rodent]]s and small birds.

It is generally a [[solitary]] feeder. Individuals usually forage while standing in water, but will also forage in fields or drop from the air, or a perch, into water. As large wading birds, Great Blue Herons are able to feed in deeper waters, and thus are able to exploit a niche not open to most other heron species.

== Breeding ==
This species usually breeds in [[monospecific]] [[colony (biology)|colonies]], in trees close to lakes or other wetlands; often with other species of herons. These groups are called heronry (more accurately than "[[rookery]]"). The size of these colonies may be large, ranging between 5 – 500 nests per colony, with an average of approximately 160 nests per colony.

Great Blues build a bulky stick [[nest]], and the female lays three to six pale blue [[egg (biology)|egg]]s. One [[brood]] is raised each year. If the nest is abandoned or destroyed, the female may lay a replacement [[clutch (eggs)|clutch]]. [[Reproduction]] is negatively affected by human disturbance, particularly during the beginning of nesting. Repeated human intrusion into nesting areas often results in nest [[failure]], with abandonment of eggs or chicks.

Both parents feed the young at the nest by [[regurgitation (digestion)|regurgitating]] food. Parent birds have been shown to consume up to 4 times as much food when they are feeding young chicks than when laying or incubating eggs.

Eggs are [[incubate]]d for approximately 28 days and hatch [[asynchronously]] over a period of several days. The first chick to hatch usually becomes more experienced in food handling and aggressive interactions with siblings, and so often grows more quickly than the other chicks.

== Migration ==
Birds east of the [[Rocky Mountains|Rockies]] in the northern part of their range are [[bird migration|migratory]] and winter in [[Central America]] or northern [[South America]]. From the southern [[United States]] southwards and on the [[Pacific]] coast, they are year-round residents.

The call of this bird is a harsh croak.
{{Listen
|filename=Great Blue Heron.ogg
|title=Great Blue Heron call
|description=Four calls of the Great Blue Heron
|format=[[Ogg]]}}

== Similar Species ==
The '''Great White Heron,''' which was long thought to be a separate species, is a white [[Polymorphism (biology)|morph]] of Great Blue which occurs in southern [[Florida]]. It is mainly found near salt water. '''Wurdemann's Heron''' is an intermediate morph, in which only the head is white. The Great White Heron could be confused with Great Egret but is larger, with yellow legs as opposed to black.
The [[Reddish Egret]] and [[Little Blue Heron]] could be mistaken for the Great Blue Heron, but are smaller, and lack white on head and yellow in bill.

==References==
* {{IUCN2006|assessors=BirdLife International|year=2004|id=49579|title=Ardea herodias|downloaded=12 May 2006}} Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
* "National Geographic" ''Field Guide to the Birds of North America'' ISBN 0-7922-6877-6
* Stiles and Skutch, ''A guide to the birds of Costa Rica'' ISBN 0-8014-9600-4

==External links==
{{commons|Ardea herodias}}
* [http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i1940id.html Great Blue Heron Information] - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
* [http://sdakotabirds.com/species/great_blue_heron_info.htm Great Blue Heron Information and Photos] - South Dakota Birds and Birding
* [http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Great_Blue_Heron.html Great Blue Heron Species Account] - Cornell Lab of Ornithology

<gallery>
Image:Lightmatter greatblueheron2.jpg
Image:Great Grey Heron.jpg|
Image:Heron-Bass-Fishing-01.jpg|Attempting to swallow a fish
Image:GreatBlueHeron.jpg|
Image:Blue heron audubon.JPG|Painting by John James Audubon
Image:Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) in flight.jpg|In flight
Image:GreatBlueHeronVictoria.jpg|
image:Ardea_herodiasZZ.jpg|''Ardea herodias'' in the Galapagos.
</gallery>

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heron, Great Blue}}

[[Category:Ardea]]
[[Category:Herons]]
[[Category:Wading birds]]
[[Category:Birds of the United States]]
[[Category:Fauna of Trinidad and Tobago]]
[[Category:Birds of Puerto Rico]]

[[ca:Bernat americà]]
[[de:Kanadareiher]]
[[es:Ardea herodias]]
[[fr:Grand héron]]
[[lt:Didysis pilkasis garnys]]
[[ja:オオアオサギ]]
[[ru:Цапля большая голубая]]

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84.122.196.233 at 12:25, 25 February 2007

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69.66.238.204: /* References */

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References

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 }}
-The '''Great Blue Heron''', ''Ardea herodias'', is a wading [[bird]] of the [[heron]] family Ardeidae, common all over [[North America|North]] and [[Central America]] as well as the [[West Indies]] and the [[Galápagos Islands|Galápagos]], except in deserts and high mountains where there is no water for it to wade in. It is very similar to the [[Europe]]an [[Grey Heron]]. This is the largest North American heron.
+The '''Great Blue Heron''', ''Ardea herodias'', is a wading [[bird]] of the [[heron]] family Ardeidae, common all over [[North America|North]] and [[Central America]] as well as the [[West Indies]] and the [[Galápagos Islands|Galápagos]], except in deserts and high mountains where there is no water for it to wade in. The extremely long legs of this heron make it the sexiest of the heron family. It is very similar to the [[Europe]]an [[Grey Heron]]. This is the largest North American heron.
 This species usually breeds in [[colony (biology)|colonies]], in trees close to lakes or other wetlands; often with other species of herons.  These groups are called heronry (more accurately than "[[rookery]]"). Great Blues build a bulky stick nest, and the female lays three to five pale blue [[egg (biology)|egg]]s. Both parents feed the young at the nest by [[regurgitation (digestion)|regurgitating]] food.

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 | name = Great Blue Heron
 | latin_name  = Ardea herodias
 | image_1 = Great blue heron - natures pics.jpg
 | caption_1 = Great Blue Heron in flight

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 | caption_1 = Great Blue Heron in flight
 | image_2 = Great blue heron02 - natures pics.jpg
-| caption_2 = Male
+| caption_2 = Male (note the long black plume at the back of the head)
 | image_3 = Ardea herodias 01997t.JPG
 | caption_3 = Female

← Older revision	Revision as of 00:22, 24 March 2007
(No difference)

@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
 * "National Geographic" ''Field Guide to the Birds of North America''  ISBN 0-7922-6877-6
 * Stiles and Skutch,  ''A guide to the birds of Costa Rica''  ISBN 0-8014-9600-4
 ==External links==