--- title: "Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) | AnimalTracks.wiki" description: "Waits in shallow water, then strikes with a rapid thrust of the bill" image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/great-blue-heron-1.webp" published: "2026-10-10" updated: "2026-10-10" --- # Great Blue Heron (*Ardea herodias*) > **Status**: Checked against 4 sources, listed under Sources below. > **Tagline**: Waits in shallow water, then strikes with a rapid thrust of the bill > **Soundtrack Vibe**: Art Pop & Baroque Pop // Phil Collins, "In the Air Tonight" > **Soundtrack Links**: [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/18AXbzPzBS8Y3AkgSxzJPb) > **Vibe Match**: A great blue heron mostly stands still or walks very slowly in shallow water, then strikes with a rapid thrust of its bill. "In the Air Tonight" holds back the same way, a sparse drum machine and a waiting voice until the drums finally crash in. ## Biological Superpowers & Stats - **Taxonomy**: *Ardea herodias* - **Danger Level**: Low - **Conservation Status**: Least Concern ([IUCN Red List](https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2020-3.rlts.t181500967a181565357.en)) - **Superpower**: Waits for fish to swim near, then strikes with a rapid thrust of its bill - **Habitat**: Marshes, swamps, shores and slow rivers across North and Central America and the Caribbean - **Diet**: Mainly fish, plus frogs, snakes, insects, rodents and birds - **Tags**: bird, carnivore, wetlands, ambush-predator ## Natural History & Behavior ## The patient spear The great blue heron fishes by waiting. It mostly stands still, or walks very slowly, in shallow water until a fish swims close. Then it strikes with a rapid thrust of its bill. It is a stalk-and-strike hunter that spots prey by sight, and most of its activity happens around dawn and dusk. It eats mainly fish, but also frogs, salamanders, turtles, snakes, insects, rodents and birds. It has even been seen stalking voles and gophers in fields. > **Eyes bigger than its throat** > Herons usually swallow their food whole, and they have been known to choke on prey that is too large. ## The biggest heron in North America This is the largest heron in North America. An adult is 1.0 to 1.4 meters (3 feet 2 inches to 4 feet 6 inches) long, with a wingspan of 1.7 to 2.0 meters (5 feet 6 inches to 6 feet 7 inches). It weighs 2.1 to 2.5 kilograms (4 pounds 10 ounces to 5 pounds 8 ounces). In flight it beats its wings slowly, with its head hunched back onto its shoulders. In parts of Florida there is also an overall white form, which averages about 10 percent larger than the darker one. ## Fishing from Alaska to the Galapagos Great blue herons breed throughout North and Central America, the Caribbean, southern Canada and the Galapagos. Audubon says they thrive around all kinds of waters, from subtropical mangrove swamps to desert rivers to the coast of southern Alaska. Northern birds east of the Rockies migrate, some as far as the Caribbean, Central America or northern South America. With its variable diet, it can winter farther north than most herons, even where most waters freeze. ## Rookeries and a short list of years Great blue herons often nest in colonies called rookeries, many of them made up of this species alone. The male picks a nest site and displays there. His displays include stretching his neck up with the bill pointing at the sky, flying circles over the colony, and snapping his bill shut. The nest is usually in a tree 20 to 60 feet above the ground or water. A clutch holds 3 to 5 pale blue eggs, sometimes as few as 2 or as many as 7. Both parents incubate them for 25 to 30 days and feed the chicks by regurgitation. The young can fly at about 60 days. More than half of the herons born in a year die before they are a year old. AnAge lists a maximum longevity of 24.5 years in the wild. The Red List rates the species Least Concern. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How big is a great blue heron? It is the largest heron in North America. Audubon gives males and females the same measurements: 1.0 to 1.4 meters long, a 1.7 to 2.0 meter wingspan, and 2.1 to 2.5 kilograms. *(Source: [Audubon Guide to North American Birds]())* ### What does a great blue heron eat? Fish, mainly. Audubon calls its diet highly variable and adaptable: it has been seen capturing rails at the edge of a marsh and eating many species of small waterbirds. *(Source: [Audubon Guide to North American Birds]())* ### How long do great blue herons live? Around 15 years on average, according to Animal Diversity Web, which gives 24.5 years as the top of the range for wild birds. *(Source: [Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan]())* ### Is a great blue heron a crane? No, it is a heron, although Audubon notes people often call it a crane. Audubon points out that a sandhill crane has a different body shape. *(Source: [Audubon Guide to North American Birds]())* ## Sources 1. [Ardea herodias. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T181500967A181565357.]() 2. [Great Blue Heron. Audubon Guide to North American Birds.]() 3. [Ardea herodias (great blue heron). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.]() 4. [Ardea herodias (great blue heron). AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.]() *Published October 10, 2026. Last updated October 10, 2026.* ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Article", "@id": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/great-blue-heron/#article", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://animaltracks.wiki/#website" }, "headline": "Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) | AnimalTracks.wiki", "description": "Waits in shallow water, then strikes with a rapid thrust of the bill", "image": [ "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/great-blue-heron-1.webp" ], "datePublished": "2026-10-10", "dateModified": "2026-10-10", "author": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "AnimalTracks.wiki Editorial Team", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki" } ], "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://animaltracks.wiki/#organization", "name": "AnimalTracks.wiki", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki/icon-512.png" } }, "mainEntityOfPage": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/great-blue-heron/", "citation": [ { "@type": "ScholarlyArticle", "name": "Ardea herodias. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T181500967A181565357", "url": "https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2020-3.rlts.t181500967a181565357.en", "datePublished": "2020", "isPartOf": { "@type": "Periodical", "name": "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species" }, "identifier": "doi:10.2305/iucn.uk.2020-3.rlts.t181500967a181565357.en" }, { "@type": "CreativeWork", "name": "Great Blue Heron", "url": "https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/great-blue-heron", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Audubon Guide to North American Birds" } }, { "@type": "CreativeWork", "name": "Ardea herodias (great blue heron)", "url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ardea_herodias/", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan" } }, { "@type": "CreativeWork", "name": "Ardea herodias (great blue heron)", "url": "https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Ardea_herodias", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources" } } ], "about": { "@type": "Taxon", "name": "Great Blue Heron", "scientificName": "Ardea herodias", "description": "Waits for fish to swim near, then strikes with a rapid thrust of its bill" } }, { "@type": "FAQPage", "@id": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/great-blue-heron/#faq", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "How big is a great blue heron?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "It is the largest heron in North America. Audubon gives males and females the same measurements: 1.0 to 1.4 meters long, a 1.7 to 2.0 meter wingspan, and 2.1 to 2.5 kilograms.", "citation": { "@type": "CreativeWork", "name": "Great Blue Heron", "url": "https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/great-blue-heron", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Audubon Guide to North American Birds" } } } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What does a great blue heron eat?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Fish, mainly. Audubon calls its diet highly variable and adaptable: it has been seen capturing rails at the edge of a marsh and eating many species of small waterbirds.", "citation": { "@type": "CreativeWork", "name": "Great Blue Heron", "url": "https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/great-blue-heron", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Audubon Guide to North American Birds" } } } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How long do great blue herons live?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Around 15 years on average, according to Animal Diversity Web, which gives 24.5 years as the top of the range for wild birds.", "citation": { "@type": "CreativeWork", "name": "Ardea herodias (great blue heron)", "url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ardea_herodias/", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan" } } } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Is a great blue heron a crane?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "No, it is a heron, although Audubon notes people often call it a crane. Audubon points out that a sandhill crane has a different body shape.", "citation": { "@type": "CreativeWork", "name": "Great Blue Heron", "url": "https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/great-blue-heron", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Audubon Guide to North American Birds" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "MusicRecording", "name": "In the Air Tonight", "byArtist": { "@type": "MusicGroup", "name": "Phil Collins" }, "genre": "Art Pop & Baroque Pop", "url": "https://open.spotify.com/track/18AXbzPzBS8Y3AkgSxzJPb" } ] } ```