Bird Guide

Great Blue Heron vs Western Cattle Egret

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Great Blue Heron

Ardea herodias

Huge2.5 kgWetland

The great blue heron is the largest heron native to North America. Among all extant herons, it is surpassed in size only by the Goliath heron (Ardea goliath) and the White-bellied heron (Ardea insignis). It exhibits a minor degree of sexual dimorphism; males are slightly larger than females, but otherwise the sexes are not easily outwardly distinguishable. It has a head-to-tail length of 91–137 cm (36–54 in), a wingspan of 167–201 cm (66–79 in), a height of 115–138 cm (45–54 in), and a weight of 1.82–3.6 kg (4.0–7.9 lb). In British Columbia, adult males averaged 2.48 kg (5.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Great Blue Heron
Recorded by Doug Hynes · Uncertain · Big Fish Island, Nova Scotia, Canada · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Acarpentier · CC BY 3.0
Western Cattle Egret (Ardea ibis)

Western Cattle Egret

Ardea ibis

Medium391 g

The cattle egret is a stocky heron with an 88–96 cm (35–38 in) wingspan; it is 46–56 cm (18–22 in) long and weighs 270–512 g (9.5–18.1 oz). It has a relatively short thick neck, a sturdy bill, and a hunched posture. The non-breeding adult has mainly white plumage, a yellow bill and greyish-yellow legs. During the breeding season, adults of the nominate western subspecies develop orange-buff plumes on the back, breast and crown, and the bill, legs and irises become bright red for a brief period prior to pairing.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Alexis Lours · CC BY 4.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Great Blue Heron and Western Cattle Egret.