Blue Heron

Ardea herodias

Description:

Large bird approximately 48" in height. Mostly gray with blue-gray underparts. Black sides and red-brown upperlegs. Upper body is pale blue-gray. Colors are solid. Wingspan of 77-82". Tail is blue-gray, square in shape, white underneath. Legs are black-yellow. Bill is long and sharp. Throat is gray with black and white streaks. Feathers crest or plume on head.

Habitat:

Seen at Wakadatachee Wetlands Preserve which is an area that consists of waterways, marshes, grassy and treed areas.

Notes:

I'm not sure if this activity is mating or courtship. I photographed this activity in burst mode; 30 shots were recorded in approximately 16 seconds. The male at one point took the female's neck in his beak. March is the courting/mating/nesting time for Great Blue Herons in Florida.

Species ID Suggestions

13 Comments

ElaineWebb 11 years ago

Thank you, KrantiAzad.....and thanks for the Favorite, Travis Morse :)

KrantiAzad 11 years ago

Nice series.....

ElaineWebb 11 years ago

Thanks for the Favorite on this spotting nexttogone, Ava T-B and Susi T-B!

ElaineWebb 11 years ago

SatyenM.....thank you for Favoriting this spotting :)

ElaineWebb 11 years ago

Thanks, EmilyMarino! I had found some information on courtship that talked of the beak slapping.....it's so neat to see it captured in your photos. Maybe the female's being held by the neck during this has something to do with the lesser enthusiasm? Thanks for Favoriting this, too.

EmilyMarino 11 years ago

Yes, looks like mating to me! (or at least an attempt!) Beautiful images! Somehow the males always look more enthusiastic than the females...

I caught some courting behavior this spring which was exciting if you are interested: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/940... however these images are simply beautiful!

ElaineWebb 11 years ago

Thank you, PerilsofPlastic; I wasn't really aware of what I had photographed until I put the shots up on the computer and was fascinated to see the details.

ElaineWebb 11 years ago

ChristyHolland....I did a lot of poking around in reference sites and couldn't really find anything that described mating behavior but this sure did seem to be what was going on; thank you for the Favorite :)