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Great Blue Heron in flight above Illinois Michigan Canal on a sunny Spring day

The Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) is a large wading bird common near open water and wetlands in North America, Central America, the Caribbean and the Galápagos Islands. It is the largest of the heron family native to North America. Blue herons are distinguished by slate-blue colored flight feathers, long legs and a long neck which is curved in flight. The face and head are white with black stripes. The long-pointed bill is a dull yellow. The great blue heron is found throughout most of North America from Alaska through Florida, Mexico, the Caribbean and South America. East of the Rocky Mountains herons are migratory and winter in the coastal areas of the Southern United States, Central America, or northern South America. Great blue herons thrive in almost any wetland habitat and rarely venture far from the water. The blue heron spends most of its waking hours hunting for food. The primary food in their diet is small fish. It is also known to feed opportunistically on other small prey such as shrimp, crabs, aquatic insects, rodents, small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and birds. Herons hunt for their food and locate it by sight. Their long legs allow them to feed in deeper waters than other waders are able to. The common hunting technique is to wade slowly through the water and spear their prey with their long, sharp bill. They usually swallow their catch whole. The great blue heron breeds in colonies called rookeries, located close to lakes and wetlands. They build their large nests high up in the trees. This heron was photographed while hunting by Walnut Canyon Lakes in Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

A great blue heron standing alone in the salt marsh surrounded by fall colors

Great Blue Heron found in a small wetlands pond located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Selective focus on a Great blue heron in a pond, Ardea Herodias

Great blue heron in New England lily pond on a midsummer evening

Great blue heron flying over a marsh

Great Blue Heron at Merced Wildlife Refuge.

A Great Blue Heron perches on a log in a quiet stream on a spring day in Northern Illinois.

Close Encounter with a Blue Heron next to the Water's Edge

Closeup of a Great Blue Heron standing majestically on a log in the water gazing out over the Chesapeake bay in Maryland

Great Blue Heron hunting for food in a marsh. Delta, British Columbia, Canada.

Great Blue Heron along the shoreline of southern Vancouver Island.

Beautiful blue heron fishing in Sauble Falls. Slow exposure of the waterfall and steady enough to capture a crisp pictures of the heron.

Dans un marais un héron est à la chasse

Photo taken at the Little Estero Critical Wildlife Area at Fort Myers Beach, Florida.

A Great Blue Heron along the coast near Pebble Beach in California.

A Great Blue Heron Sitting on a Tree against a pale blue background.

Blue Heron. Photo taken in Edison, Washington State.Blue Heron landing. Photo taken in Edison, Washington State.

Herons hunt a wide variety of animals, but their diet consists mainly of small fish during breeding season, and is supplemented with small mammals in winter. In British Columbia, the primary predator of the Great Blue Heron fannini subspecies is the Bald Eagle.

Great Blue Heron Wading in Wetlands

Great Blue Heron bird hunting

For similar images:

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A Great Blue Heron stands in the water

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) stalking its prey - Myakka River State Park, Florida

Portrait of Great Blue Heron

Familiar pose for the great blue heron as it stands on one leg perched on a stone in mid-river

A wetland pond with a great blue heron wading in the water with a catfish it just caught. Moving to the shore to position the fish for swallowing. In late autumn. Edited for minor flaws.

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