Heron Florida Water Birds

Widespread and familiar though often called crane the largest heron in north america.

Heron florida water birds. Found in both fresh and saltwater marshes ponds lakes and rivers where it fishes by wading or standing motionless on a branch log or aquatic plants close to the waters surface. The grey heron ardea cinerea is a long legged predatory wading bird of the heron family ardeidae native throughout temperate europe and asia and also parts of africa it is resident in much of its range but some populations from the more northern parts migrate southwards in autumn. A related heron was endemic to bermuda but became extinct following human colonisation. 38 54 inches tall wingspan 65 80 inches great blue herons are one of the largest and most widespread wading birds in north america found in wetlands throughout the region.

They are slate gray with a reddish blue head and neck and a white belly and throat. American yellow crowned night herons have been introduced to fill its ecological niche. The smallest species is usually considered the dwarf bittern which measures 25 30 cm 9 8 11 8 in in length although all the species in the genus ixobrychus are small and many broadly overlap in size. Florida plays hosts to several families of water birds.

Highly adaptable it thrives around all kinds of waters from subtropical mangrove swamps to desert rivers to the coastline of southern alaska. Tricolored heron egretta tricolor state threatened tricolored herons are widely distributed across florida feeding primarily on fish from fresh and saltwater habitats. Other groups of florida water birds include the shorebirds gulls and warders. Green heron butorides virescens the green heron also called the green backed heron is a year round resident of florida.

Often seen standing silently along inland rivers or lakeshores or flying high overhead with slow wingbeats its head hunched back onto its shoulders. The herons are medium to large sized birds with long legs and necks. A bird of wetland areas it can be seen around lakes rivers ponds marshes and on the sea coast. They exhibit very little sexual dimorphism in size.

The great blue heron ardea herodias is a large wading bird in the heron family ardeidae common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of north america and central america as well as the caribbean and the galápagos islands it is a rare vagrant to coastal spain the azores and areas of far southern europe an all white population found in south florida and the florida keys. Great egret the largest of the white colored wading birds in florida the great egret is frequently seen in wetlands areas and along waterways. The ducks swans and geese belonging to the family of anatidewa and order anseriformes make up another common group in florida with over 30 species. The largest species of heron is the goliath heron which stands up.

There s the egrets ibises and herons group belonging to order ciconiiformes with over 15 species. They re common in freshwater and saltwater where they stalk the shallow shorelines for fish and crustaceans.