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Great Blue Heron
Class:
Aves
Order:
Pelecaniformes
Family:
Ardeidae
Genus:
Ardea
Species:
Ardea herodias
Subspecies:
herodias, L 46 inches
Range:
Most of the American continent during summer nesting and migrating, but not in boreal Alaska and Canada, nor in the Canadian Rocky Mtns.
All year in the lower portion of eastern US except in the Rocky Mountain area. All years in most all of the area west of the Rocky Mountains and the coastal area of British Columbia and southern Alaska.
Habitat:
Found in wetlands and fields. Stalks slowly to hunt or still-hunts, alone.
Description:
Large bird, gray-blue with white crown and black strip over eye and back head plume. Bill can be gray on top with yellow below, or even all yellow. Legs are dark gray with the upper portion lighter.
During Breeding, there are plumes on back and neck. Immature are much duller.
Great White Heron
Species:
Ardea herodias
Subspecies:
occidentalis
Range:
The majestic great white heron is unique to south Florida and the Florida Keys. Some have been seen in the Caribbean islands.
Habitat:
Nesting occurs throughout the year, with a pronounced peak between November and February.
Nesting habitat is primarily on mangrove islands within Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge and Key West National Wildlife Refuge.
Description:
This is the largest heron species and has yellow legs instead of the black legs of the great blue heron, and like the great blue, it coils it′s neck in flight.
Originally, the great white heron was thought to be just a white color morph of the great blue heron, recent research, however, suggests that it is at least a subspecies of the great blue heron, while some preliminary unpublished data suggests that it may even be a completely separate species.
(m3an-chb-inwa.045gb-greatwhite) Great White Heron
Photo Credit: US Fish & Wildlife Service
Supspecies:
Ardea herioias wundermann (Wurdermann′s form)
Range:
This form of the subspecies is found almost entirely in the Florida Keys.
The Wurdermann′s form is said to be a cross between the great blue heron and the great white heron. However, some believe that the Wurdemann′s Heron is an intermediate color morph of the Great White.
Supspecies:
Ardea herioias fannini
Range:
Coastal Pacific Northwest from southern Alaska to southern Washington.
Supspecies:
Ardea herioias wardi
Range:
Kansas and Oklahoma to northern Florida and southern Georgia
Supspecies:
Ardea herioias cognata
Range:
Galapagos Islands
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