Great Blue Heron

This photo was taken on the Guadalupe River in Ingram, Texas but I have twice seen a Great Blue Heron here at the ranch.

The Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias, is the largest and most widespread heron in North American and can be found throughout Texas year round.

This large bird stands 48-52" tall, weighs approximately 5.5 lbs., and has a 6-ft wingspan.

The bird stalks its prey, impaling it with a quick lunge of its huge bill. Fish are its primary food but it will also eat insects, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds.

The Great Blue Heron makes its large platform nest in trees near shallow water (or occasionally on the ground). A group of herons is called a "battery", "hedge", "pose", "rookery", or "scattering".