When do herons mate

An increasing number of British heronries now also have little egrets nesting alongside the herons. Herons are among the earliest nesters.

It's not unusual for some birds to lay their first eggs in early February, though the normal start is early March, peaking at the end of the month. The number of herons breeding in Britain and on the Continent has been growing steadily for many years.

They suffer badly in cold winters when ponds and streams are frozen for prolonged periods. The recent run of mild weathers has helped boost the population. Grey herons are widely distributed, occurring throughout much of Asia as far east as Japan.

They also breed in South Africa, while migrants are regular throughout much of Africa. Only 3. Persuading marauding herons not to raid goldfish ponds is very difficult. Plastic decoy herons are more likely to lure birds to a pond than frighten them away from it. Find out more about the partnership. Main website Shop.

They also snap their bills together, raise their feathers, and shake twigs in courtship displays. Great blue herons fish primarily during the day or occasionally at night, but most of their activity occurs around dawn and dusk.

Herons use their long legs to wade in shallow water and their sharp spear-like bills to catch their food. Great blue herons' diet consists of mainly fish, but also includes frogs, salamanders, lizards, snakes, young birds, small mammals, shrimp, crabs, crayfish, dragonflies, grasshoppers and many aquatic invertebrates.

Herons locate their food by sight and usually swallow it whole. Herons have been known to choke on prey that is too large. Great blue herons obtain water by scooping up water with their bills and tipping their heads back to drink. Great blue herons live in aquatic habitats and are surrounded by water for nearly their entire lives. Northwest crows and common ravens have been reported eating heron eggs. Eagles, raccoons , bears, turkey vultures , and red-tailed hawks prey on the young birds and sometimes even the adults.

Birds often abandon a rookery where they have been living after a predator has killed an adult or chick in the area. Nesting in rookeries is a way for great blue herons to avoid predation. If a heron nests within a large group, there are many more eyes and ears to keep watch for predators. Also, the chances that one particular nest will be predated decreases significantly when there is a high density of nests.

Great blue herons control fish and insect populations in many different habitats. They are also an important source of food for the animals that prey on them. People who create and stock fish ponds may find that their expensive fish are being eaten by great blue herons.

This can be prevented by installing bird netting or using decoy herons to scare the birds away. Ferguson, Great blue herons are a delight to watch and are important members of healthy, freshwater ecosystems.

This is the most well-known and most widespread heron in North America. Human interference with the heron primarily involves destruction of habitat. Many herons are also killed each year due to collisions with utility wires. Great blue herons have no special protection in the state of Michigan since their populations are large and healthy.

Ehrlich, P. Dobkin, D. Ferguson, P. Hancock, J. The Herons Handbook. Terres, J. New York: Wings Books. Animal Diversity Web Cybertracker Tools. All rights reserved. Skip directly to main content. Kids' Inquiry of Diverse Species. This used to be considered a separate species, but now is seen as just a regional color variation of the Great Blue Heron species. In extreme southern Florida where the white and blue heron ranges overlap, an intermediate form with a blue body and white head and neck can be found.

Great Blue Herons are one of the most widespread species of wading birds in the Western Hemisphere. Heron populations in the upper Midwest and central Canada are summer residents only, while those in Mexico and Central and South America are winter residents only and do not breed there.

Great Blue Herons live pretty much wherever water is available year around, whether fresh, brackish or salt. They build their nests in trees near permanent bodies of water. Like many other types of wading birds, Great Blue Herons often build their nests in close proximity to each other, in areas called rookeries, or more precisely, heronies. The Great Blue Heron is seasonally monogamous. That is, they mate with another heron for the duration of the mating season.

When the next season comes around, they may choose that same mate or a different one. During the mating and nesting season, the heron pair work together to raise their young.

Great Blue Heron breeding seasons vary according to where they live. In the northern parts of their range they breed between March and May, while in the southern parts of their range they usually breed from November to April. Each breeding season, herons return to the same heronies to nest and raise their young. Great Blue Herons perform elaborate courtship displays during the mating season.

When seeking a mate, male Great Blue Herons will stretch their necks and hold their beaks almost straight up. They then erect their feather plumes to show potential mates how attractive they are. It is thought that the quality of the plumes tells the female how good a provider that particular male is.

Male herons also snap their beaks as part of their courtship display. The male herons construct the nests of sticks and twigs as high as 50 or 60 feet in trees to discourage predation by animals like raccoons. The inner part of the nest is lined with small twigs and grass. Great Blue Herons use the same nests year after year, adding on to them during each breeding season. As a result, these nests can get quite large over time, reaching 3 or 4 feet in diameter.