Great Blue Heron | "I'm patient!"

Great blue herons are the embodiment of patience. When looking for food, they become still, completely focused on their prey. When and if they move, it's with great attention to detail. No splashing, no sudden movements, just pure concentration until the moment of striking. They have full commitment to presence and exemplify the balance between effort and non-effort. Instead of chasing after their prey, they wait for it to come to them. Nature holds so many lessons for us if we just slow down for a bit and observe. These blue-gray majestic beauties are the largest of North American herons, standing at four feet tall. They have a six-foot wingspan and weigh five to six pounds. They are elegant and slender, with a long neck and dagger-like bill. They have shaggy plumes on the neck and back. A slate blue stripe runs through the eye to the back of the head, and the crown is white with ornamental plumes. Juveniles are darker gray overall, with lots of chestnut undertones and a solid dark crown. They lack the shaggy plumes on the body, and have only the beginning hints of the head plumes. In flight, these birds show off their long, broad wings with slow and deep wing beats. They are just as beautiful and graceful in flight as they are on land. The great blue heron is very similar in appearance to the gray heron. The two main differences are their size and range. The great blue heron is larger and endemic to North America. On the other hand, the gray heron inhabits the temperate areas of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The great white heron, sometimes referred to as the great blue heron white morph or white form, is a subspecies found on the very southern tip of Florida, the Yucatan Peninsula, and the Caribbean. Where the dark and white forms overlap, hybrids known as verdamon's heron can be found. They have the head and neck of the great white heron and the body of the great blue heron. In North America, there are a few species that look similar to the great blue heron. There is the little blue heron, which is considerably smaller, with a dusty purple neck, gray body, and a gray bill. The tricolored heron is medium-sized. It has a dark gray body and its neck is accentuated with dusty purple feathers. It has a white stripe running down the neck, leading to an all-white belly. The great egret is sometimes confused with the great white heron. The great white heron is larger and has a heftier bill. Probably the fastest way to tell them apart is by the color of the legs. The great egret's legs are black, while the great white heron's are a grayish pink. Also, depending on the bird's age and breeding status, you may see plumes. The great egret's plumes are wispy and light and located on the back. The great white heron has the shaggy plumes on the neck and back, like its great blue heron cousin. And lastly, the sandhill crane. Their distinctive red cap makes them stand apart from the great blue heron. In addition, sandhills are heavier-bodied, have a longer wingspan, and a shorter bill than the great blue heron. In flight, sandhill cranes keep their necks outstretched, whereas the great blue heron retracts the neck into an S-shape. The neck of the great blue heron, or any heron for that matter, is one of great interest in discussion. There is a lot going on with their necks. First off, their necks are deceptive. They can appear short and thick, medium with some curvature, or very long, thin, and straight, like a periscope. Other times their necks may be recoiled into a deep S-shape, making the whole bird look stout and compact. They can transition between any of these postures quickly, depending on the situation. Their neck anatomy starts out similar to ours. The esophagus and trachea are in the front of the neck, with a spinal column behind it. But here's where it gets interesting. At around the fifth or sixth vertebra, the esophagus and trachea switch to being behind the neck bones instead of in front. Then further on down, closer to the body of the bird, it switches back to being in front again. And there's more. The sixth vertebra is elongated, allowing the neck to recoil into the distinctive serpentine shape. Not only can it tuck the neck back in when at rest or while flying, but it's useful when hunting. The ability to recoil the neck before striking increases its reach and power, much like that of a spear thrower. These two adaptations are fascinating. The esophagus, trachea, and neck bone switch up protects these more vulnerable structures from collision with a branch, a rock, or any other structure when lunging powerfully at prey. So as a safeguard, nature invented this brilliant solution. Another intriguing characteristic are the fringed feathers on the neck and back. Fish make up the majority of their diet. When you spend your days wading in ponds and marshes, your feathers can easily become soiled by pond scum, slimy fish, algae, and other oils hanging out on the water's surface. So what can be done about it? Once again, Mother Nature has an answer. These feathers continually grow and fray, the ends disintegrating into a fine powder known as powder down. The third toe on each foot has a pectinate claw, which means that it's serrated like a comb. It uses this claw and its bill to run the powder down along the soiled feathers. The powder absorbs the oils and grease, where it can then be combed away, leaving the feathers clean and in good condition once again. Isn't that just genius? As I already mentioned, the great blue heron is a lover of all things fish, and all different sized fish too. Whether small, medium, or seemingly too large, fish are swallowed whole. To catch them, they may use the tried and true stalk and strike behavior, or resort to impaling their quarry, this latter method being reserved for larger fish. Not only are their eyes forward facing, but they are oriented slightly downward too. All the better to see delicious morsels under the water's surface. Once a fish is caught, they use their superb binocular vision to differentiate between the head and tail of the fish. If needed, they flip it around to head first, as doing so ensures it will slide down the esophagus smoothly. And in case you're already thinking it, yes, occasionally these birds have choked to death from trying to swallow larger prey. They don't just stop with fish though. Anything within striking distance is a potential menu item. This includes amphibians, reptiles, small mammals such as mice and voles, insects, crustaceans, ducklings, and even other birds. While they are mostly found in freshwater and saltwater habitats, grasslands and agricultural fields are also utilized where they hunt for frogs and mammals. They are able to hunt any time of day or night due to having a high number of rod cells in their eyes, which gives them excellent night vision. Male and female great blue herons look the same, except that males are slightly larger. During breeding season, the lores, which is the bare area between the eye and the bill, turns powder blue and the bill becomes more orange. On some birds this is quite pronounced, while it remains more subtle on others. Great blue herons have a broad repertoire of courtship displays. One ritual is known as sky pointing. In this display, both the male and female dance around each other with their necks extended and bills pointed towards the sky. Their wings are slightly outstretched and their feathers are ruffled as they strut and move about. Another is known as the fluffed neck display, where a heron fluffs up its gorgeous neck feathers and holds its bill at or slightly above horizontal. The stretch display is when an unpaired male stretches his neck making him look as tall as possible while fluffing up the neck feathers. Not only is there a lot of variation in displays, but in the sequencing as well. Great blue herons are colonial nesters, building their nests high up in a tree in a rookery. A rookery may contain as few as five nests or as many as 500. They prefer trees that are close to lakes, ponds, or wetlands. This gives them physical distance from ground-dwelling predators and close access to their food source. It also limits human interference, which they are very sensitive to. If trees are unavailable, they may resort to nesting on bushes, artificial platforms, duck blinds, or even on beaver mounds. They may even build their nest on the ground or on shrubs of an island in wetland territory. A new nest may be 20 inches across, but a nest that has been reused over multiple years can be as wide as four feet across and three and a half feet deep. They are made out of sticks that the male brings to the female. She arranges the sticks into a basket and lines it with softer materials. She lays two to six pale blue eggs and incubates them for 27 to 29 days. The chicks hatch with eyes open, covered in light gray down. Great blue herons are seasonally monogamous and have a variety of displays to reinforce their pair bond, such as greeting rituals, stick transfer, and a nest relief ceremony when they fluff up their feathers and clap their bills together. As with the variety of courtship displays, there is a lot of variety here as well. From my research, I found that there was some overlap between the courtship and pair bond displays. Young great blue herons spend a considerable amount of time in the nest, from one and a half to two and a half months before they fledge. The male and female take turns bringing food to the young, working tirelessly to support their voracious appetites with fish. One parent stays with them at all times until they're about 28 days old. Nesting season varies widely based on climate, as those in northern latitudes nest later and have a shorter season than those in warmer areas. And not surprisingly, there is considerable variability with migration as well. Some populations are migratory and some are not, the deciding factor being the availability of ice-free water for them to fish in the wintertime. Birds that live in coastal areas stay there year-round. Others, however, may migrate south of their breeding territory, some going as far as the Caribbean. There is a lot of complexity to this magnificent bird, enough that I could have made a single video on each subtopic. So what was the most interesting fact that stood out to you? Do you see great blue herons in your area? Leave me a comment down below. Thank you so much for watching, and keep on birding!