Summary

This episode—which is Number 70—is all about the Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias).

This species is one of the most familiar large birds in North America. So it was inevitable that I’d make a podcast episode about it.

The Great Blue Heron is a beautiful, fascinating, and ecologically important bird.‍

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Links of Interest

• ‘Great Heron’ sculpture by artist Dixie Friend Gay
• Great Blue Heron: Nesting and Mating Behavior [VIDEO]
• Great Horned Owl attacks Great Blue Heron in Sapsucker Woods [VIDEO]

Research Citations

• Top–down control by great blue herons Ardea herodias regulates seagrass-associated epifauna
• Evaluating the taxonomic status of the Great White Heron (Ardea herodias occidentalis) using morphological, behavioral and genetic evidence
• Recent switch by the Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias fannini in the Pacific northwest to associative nesting with Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) to gain predator protection
• Social Differences in Defecation Behavior of Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias)
• Pair-formation displays of the Great Blue Heron [PDF]
• A Review Of The North American Subspecies Of The Great Blue Heron

Photos

Attributions

• Great Blue Heron sounds (Xeno Canto recording XC445084)
• Great Blue Heron sounds (Xeno Canto recording XC638606)
• Great Blue Heron sounds (Xeno Canto recording XC445854)

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