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Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Whether poised at a river bend in the first rays of the morning sun or gliding along the coastline with slow, deep wingbeats, the Great Blue Heron is truly a majestic sight. This stately heron with its subtle blue-gray plumage often stands motionless as it scans for prey or wades belly deep with long, deliberate steps. Although they may seem to move slowly, the Great Blue Herons can strike like lightning, spearing a fish with it’s beak or snap up a frog or snake. Although it’s often called a “crane”, it’s the largest heron in North America. Highly adaptable, it thrives around all kinds of waters from subtropical mangrove swamps to desert rivers to the coastline of southern Alaska.