Great Blue Heron

I've always liked Great Blue Herons. There's something very stately about them, but also wild and beautiful. The park where I saw this one was fairly active, but it seemed content to be photographed while standing still in the sunlight.

Great Blue Herons live to be 15 years old on average, but the oldest one recorded lived over 24 years.^{[1, 2]}. That's older than I expected, which led me on a rabbit trail of looking the lifespans of various birds. According to the National Park Service, Red-bellied Woodpeckers typically live between 10-12 years, North American Bald Eagles live about 20 years, and the White Ibis can live up to 27 years old.^{[3, 4]}

If you've never heard a Great Blue Heron before, I encourage you to take a look at the photo above and imagine what kind of call this elegant, stately bird might produce. 

Because the first time I heard one, it certainly what was I was expecting.

"Frawnk," says the Cornell Lab of one call; "kraaank" says Alderferr and Dunn's (2021) Complete Birds of North America (p. 333), and "gwok" says the Missouri Department of Conservation.^[5-7] The Cornell Lab has several recordings of Great Blue Herons from the Macaulay Library—take a listen.^[5]

The Details:

Common Name: Great Blue Heron

Scientific Name: Ardea herodias

Order: Pelecaniformes

Family: Ardeidae

Seen: Standing in the vegetation inside of a lake

Month: March 

Range: A wide-ranging bird, the Great Blue Heron can be found in every contiguous state in the U.S. (as well as a tiny part of Alaska) for at least part of the year.^[8] Its range also extends up into Canada and southward into Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, and all the way down to some of the northernmost parts of South America. Take a look at the range map on the Cornell Lab's website to see if they are found where you are. 

Learn More:

1. Lowell National Historic Park. (2020, September 29). Great Blue Heron. National Park Service.
2. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Great Blue Heron: Overview. All About Birds. 
3. DeSoto National Memorial. (2022, September 21). Birds. National Park Service.
4. National Park Service. (2020, August 6). North American Bald Eagle. 
5. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Great Blue Heron: Sounds. All About Birds.
6. Missouri Department of Conservation. (n.d.). Great Blue Heron.
7. Alderfer, J., & Dunn, J. L. (Eds.). (2021). Complete birds of North America (3rd ed.). National Geographic Partners. 
8. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Great Blue Heron: Range map. All About Birds.