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Bird Identification

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Great Blue Heron

Ardea herodias L 46" (117cm)

Photo by Maslowski Wildlife Productions.

Listen to a great blue heron.

The great blue is our largest heron, a tall, elegant inhabitant of marshes, streams, ponds, lakes, and bays across the continent. It is most often seen standing silent and still in shallow water, waiting for a fish or other aquatic animal to stray within striking distance of its long, daggerlike bill. In flight it appears slow and steady, distinguished from the similar sandhill crane by the habit of holding its neck folded back rather than extended. Great blues normally nest in colonies but single pairs can be found at inland locations. The nest is a large bulky mass of twigs in the upper branches of a tree. Rarely vocal, great blues sometimes emit a loud, low-pitched squawk or croak.

This sound file requires RealPlayer. Bird song courtesy of Lang Elliott, NatureSound Studio.

Wading Birds

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