Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
Summary 2
The great blue heron (Ardea herodias) is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North America and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and the Galápagos Islands. It is a rare vagrant to coastal Spain, the Azores, and areas of far southern Europe. An all-white population found only in the Caribbean, Florida, and the Florida Keys is known as the great white heron. Debate exists about whether it is a white color morph of the great blue heron, a subspecies of it, or an entirely separate species. It is 38.2-53.9 inches tall and can be spotted in the COSA year-round.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Mike Baird, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://www.flickr.com/photos/72825507@N00/3020707979
- Adapted by dirstine from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardea_herodias
