Great Blue Heron
Most
Oklahoma outdoor enthusiasts are quite familiar with the great
blue heron (Ardea herodius). The largest and most widely
distributed heron in North America, the great blue heron is one
of Oklahoma's largest birds.
It can weigh anywhere from five to eight pounds and stand about
four feet tall. Their wings are deeply curved with a massive
wingspan of close to six feet. Though generally slate blue in
appearance, the great blue heron also has patches of light to
grayish feathers on the breast and shoulder areas. The forehead
and the top of the head are white, with the crown, crest and
legs black.
Great blue herons live near marshes, swamps, rivers and lakes.
Found from southeast Alaska throughout North America to Mexico,
the Galapagos Islands, and the West Indies, the great blue heron
is a year-round resident in Oklahoma. Overhead, great blue
herons fly with slow wing beats, their legs held straight back
with their necks back to the shoulder in an "S" curve. Flight
appears to be slow, but these birds are capable of reaching
speeds of up to 35 miles per hour.
You can see this heron in Oklahoma along streams, ponds, and
lakes. The bird stands in the shallows not moving a muscle until
the split second its prey comes within striking distance. The
great blue heron feeds mostly in the daytime, especially at dawn
and dusk. It feeds primarily on fish and insects, however, the
heron also can dine on frogs, salamanders, turtles, and small
water birds and will hunt on land for snakes, and small mammals
and birds.
Both male and female have long plumes on their head, neck, and
back during the breeding season. To attract the female, the male
performs a variety of displays, such as stretching its neck
forward with its head and neck feathers erect, then snapping its
bill shut, or flying in a circle above the nesting area with its
neck extended.
In Oklahoma, nesting takes place from March through June,
depending on location. When building a nest alongside others of
their species, the male gathers the nesting material, and the
female uses its bill to work it into the nest. Newly built nests
are often flimsy and relatively small, about 18 inches across.
Older nests are more substantial because they are expanded and
used repeatedly, some reaching three to four feet across. The
normal clutch size is three to four. The light bluish-green to
pale olive eggs hatch after about four weeks of incubation.
The young leave the nest in late spring or early summer. Both
parents feed the chicks, and upon reaching the nest, the parents
are greeted with sounds that resemble the barking of puppies.
This causes them to regurgitate the food into the young herons’
open bills. The rate of feeding declines as the nestlings
mature. The juvenile birds begin flying and foraging around two
months of age. The youngsters remain gray all over with dark
crowns until the fall of their third year when they attain adult
plumage with some immature characteristics possibly being
retained.
Whether you are out fishing, hunting or just out spending time
outdoors, take a moment to enjoy the graceful beauty of the
great blue heron.