“The Great Blue Heron is Tennessee's largest resident bird and one of my favorites! You can find them just about everywhere there is water. Standing along the bank or wading in shallow waters as they hunt for a meal, the Blue Heron is quite the "fisherman"! He stalks his prey and spears it with his long pointed beak then swallows it whole!"
ScientificName - Ardea herodias RANGE - USA, Central America, Southern Canada & South America LIFESPAN - 2to 4 years
Found throughout most of North America, parts of Alaska, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Mexico, the Caribbean and South America in a range of habitats including fresh and saltwater marshes, swamps, flooded meadows, lake edges, ponds and rivers. Generally, they nest in colonies ranging from 5 -500 nests in trees or bushes that stand near a body of water. On average you can find 160 nests per colony. Theses colonies are called "heronry". Great blues build bulky stick nests where the female lays three to six blue eggs. Both parents feed the young at the nest by regurgitating food. Parents have been known to eat up to 4 times the normal amount of food when feeding their young. Eggs are incubated 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 interactions with siblings and ussually grows more quickly than the other chicks. Only one brood is raised each year although the female may lay a replacement clutch if the nest is destroyed or abandoned. The Great Blue Heron feeds in shallow water during both night & day, ussually dusk & dawn. Locating their prey by sight and stalking it like a cat, the blue heron spears it with its long pinted beak and swallows it whole. They will turn fish around to make sure to swallow head first so the dorsal fin spines don't get caught in their throat. Herons have been known to choke on prey that is too large. Although fish is probably the most consumed prey for herons, they also eat snakes, insects, turtles, frogs, rodents and small birds. With legs longer than other herons, the Great Blue can exploit water that is deeper giving it an advantage when it comes to feeding. Next time you're at the lake, take a moment, look around and I bet you'll see one of these magnificent birds. Make sure to check out our photo gallery and video of the Great Blue Heron.
