Herons

Great Blue Heron

I was delighted to find lots of herons in the Tsawwassen area. As you walk along the dyke there you usually see a few herons wading in the water or on the shore line.

Size:

They stand approximately 60 cm tall and are 97 to 137 cm long.

Color

They long, rounded wings, gray upper bodies, and their necks are streaked with white, black and rust-brown. They have long yello bills that taper to a point at the end, and short tails. The males tend to be slightly larger than female and have a puffy plume of feathers behind their heads.

Habitat

Great Blue herons live near water, including rivers, lake edges, marshes, saltwater seacoasts, and swamps

Diet

They eat fish, frogs, lizards, snakes, birds, shrimps, crabs, crayfish, dragonflies, grasshoppers and other insects .

Nests

They make their nests in trees or bushes that stand near water,>.

Eggs

The female lays between 2 and 7 eggs. They are pale blue in color. Both parents incubate the eggs, which means that the parents take turns sitting on the nest. The babies are called chicks.

Mating

They have one mate per breeding season.

Lifespan

The average lifespan is around 15 years.

Where found

They are found in North and Central America, the Caribbean, much of Canada and the Galapogos.

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