What do great blue herons eat? What is the wingspan of a great blue heron? What sound does a great blue heron make?

If you’re curious about the answer to any of these questions and more, you won’t want to miss this article.

Enjoy learning 8 amazing facts about great blue herons!

Want to learn how to photograph great blue herons?

Are you interested in wildlife photography and great blue herons?

If so, you won’t want to miss my recent article, How to Photograph Great Blue Herons: 7 Tips to Take Your Wildlife Photography to the Next Level.

In this guide, I’ll give you 7 tips to help you learn and improve how you photography these majestic birds.

1) What do great blue herons eat?

Great blue herons’ main prey are fish, but they are opportunistic predators that will also eat amphibians, reptiles, insects, rodents, and even other birds. Their preferred method of hunting is standing still or striding slowly in shallow water. Once fish approach them, they use an incredibly fast, powerful strike of their beak to spear their prey.

2) What is the wingspan of a great blue heron?

Apart from being between 91 to 137 cm (3.2 to 4.5 feet) in body length, the great blue heron has a wingspan of between 167 to 201 cm (5.5 to 6.6 feet).

3) What sound does a great blue heron make?

According to All About Birds, great blue herons make various sounds (i.e. a greeting to their partner when they return to the nest, alarm calls, etc.), but are most vocal in and around their nest.

If you would like to hear more of the sounds of great blue herons, check out All About Birds.

4) Where do great blue herons live?

Great blue herons live throughout most North, Central, and northern South America.

These birds are incredibly adapted to almost any aquatic habitat, including rivers, lakes, saltwater marshes, and mangrove swamps. Great blue herons often build their nests in trees or bushes near water.

5) Do great blue herons migrate?

In the northern parts of their range in Canada and the United States East of the Rocky Mountains, great blue herons migrate “and winter in coastal areas of the Southern United States, Central America, or northern South America.” On the other hand, “populations along the Pacific Coast may be permanent residents, even as far north as southeastern Alaska,” according to Audubon.

6) Does the great blue heron have any predators?

Adult herons have few natural predators due to their size. However, some birds of prey, such as bald eagles and great horned owls, prey on both juveniles and adults.

In southern regions, American alligators and crocodiles can occasionally take an adult great blue heron.

Predators of great blue heron eggs and nestlings include turkey vultures, common ravens, American crows, red-tailed hawks, American black bears, and raccoons.

7) How much does a great blue heron weigh?

Despite being the largest heron in North America, an adult great blue heron weighs between 4.0–7.9 lbs (1.82–3.6 kg) due to their lightweight bones.

8) How many eggs does a great blue heron lay?

Great blue herons usually lay 3-5 eggs. Both parents incubate for about 25-30 days. After the chicks hatch, male and female feed the young. The offspring fledge after about 60 days and leave the nest within the following 30 days.

Where to buy

If you are interested in purchasing any of the gear I used to shoot these photos, check out the links below:

Cameras

Nikon Z6

Nikon D850

Nikon D7500

Nikon D500

Nikon D7100

Nikon D4

Nikon D700

Lenses

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8 VR II

Nikon 300mm f/4 AF-S

Nikon 300mm f/4 PF VR

Nikon TC-14E III 1.4x Teleconverter

If you live in Canada, Kijiji is a great place to get even cheaper gear if you are willing to buy cameras and lenses without an intermediary service, such as Amazon or eBay.