Great Blue Heron
(Ardea herodias)

A Great Blue Heron shows off with its catch of the day.

Facts: This bird stands 4 feet tall and has a wingspan of 6 feet. The great blue heron ranks as the largest of North American herons and egrets. They can be seen beside streams, ponds lakes, and road ditches throughout the state. Their nest is a crude platform of sticks in a bush or tree, usually in a colony with other herons. Along the coast, nests are found on gas wells in shallow bays. The lay 3 to 5 large blue eggs and they hatch in 28 days. It takes another 2 months before the young are ready to fly. They spear fish with their sharp beak and swallow them whole. They also eat turtles, frogs, snakes, crawfish, lizards, and rodents.