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Great Blue Heron

(Ardea Herodias)

 

Category: Birds

 

 

These large, majestic wading birds are a common sight along coastlines, rivers, and other bodies of water that provide habitat for prey such as fish, frogs, and rodents. The heron will stand motionless until it has an opportunity to impale or grab unsuspecting prey with a lightning fast strike of its long, sharp beak. Great Blue Herons have a high percentage of rod-type photoreceptors in their eyes, giving them the ability to hunt both by day and by night.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_blue_heron

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Blue_Heron/lifehistory

 

Data & Facts

Scientific Classification
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Class - Aves
Order - Pelecaniformes
Family - Ardeidae
Genus - Ardea
Species - A. herodias

 
Did you know?
Interesting Animal Facts

A Truly Amazing Race…

Many species of birds migrate when the weather changes, but some species take their journeys to extremes. The Arctic tern tops this list: it flies from the Arctic to Antarctic and back again every year of its life! In 2013, scientists tracked Arctic terns nesting in the Netherlands and discovered that they flew 56,000 miles per year! With a lifespan of approximately 30 years, this means these birds fly over 1.5 million miles over the course of their lives! Because the distance they migrate is so enormous, they don’t just get better weather and more abundant food each year, they get more daylight than any other animal on the planet!

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