Heron or egret? - Part 2

In our last “Nature Notes” article, a couple enjoying the Daniel Island trails was trying to identify a beautiful, snowy-white wading bird. It was determined to be an egret and we learned a little about the two most common egrets here on the island.

Today our couple has come to another pond and they are observing a striking blue-grey bird with darker blue and white accents that is even larger than the Great Egret. This would certainly be Ardea herodius, the Great Blue Heron. It is perhaps the most easily-identified bird on Daniel Island.

As we learned earlier, egrets are actually herons. In addition to the egrets and the Great Blue Heron, there are five other herons one might expect to see locally. That’s quite a variety of birds to cover, so this article will only address two. While the Yellow-Crowned Night Heron, Black-Crowned Night Heron, Tricolored Heron and Green Heron can all be viewed throughout much of the Lowcountry, the Great Blue Heron and Little Blue Heron seem to be the most commonly seen varieties in our immediate area.

The largest of the herons, the Great Blue Heron reaches up to six pounds as an adult. It looks even larger than that, due to its tall, slender body. It can be found along the entire coastline of the U.S. and Mexico and throughout much of interior North America. There are populations in Central and South America and throughout the islands of the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Occasionally they can be found as far north as Canada and Alaska.

Egretta caerulea, the Little Blue Heron, can be found in many of the same areas and habitats as his larger cousin. These birds prefer warmer climates, though, and are predominantly along the southeast and gulf coasts of the U.S. and Mexico, as well as farther south. They appear almost completely a deep slate blue and are about the size of a Snowy Egret, much smaller than a Great Blue Heron.

Both birds can typically be found in fresh or saltwater marshes, swamps, rivers or even wet fields. They eat mostly fish and crustaceans but will eat lizards, snakes, frogs, turtles, and in the case of the Great Blue Heron, even other water bird species.

As with the egrets, these herons are generally tree nesters found in large colonies. Males locate a courting area and attempt to impress females there. Once a mate is found, the females tend to build the nest while the males help provide the materials. One or, occasionally, two broods a year are hatched and both parents feed the young birds by regurgitating their food.

Great Blue Herons have been documented to live more than 24 years, so it is possible that some of the birds once saw a very different Daniel Island. Both populations are stable today, and given that they prefer wetland environments, they should continue to do well despite the developmental pressures facing the Lowcountry these days.

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

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