SOLD Great Blue Heron

GREAT BLUE HERON

Ardea hernias aka Gray Gaulin in the Virgin Islands

Standing at four feet high, this stately bird is mostly grey with underparts streaked in white, a yellow bill and dark legs. It is an uncommon nesting resident but sometimes breeds here in remote areas, especially on Anegada, during which period its head is white with black borders.  Like all herons, it holds its neck crooked in flight.

A coastal bird, the Great Blue nests in colonies high in trees or mangroves, making its nest with sticks and laying four pale green eggs. Its life span is 15 years and it  can often be seen wading in shallow waters where it feeds by swiftly striking with its sharp bill to impale frogs, fish, and insects. Its voice in flight is a honking sound, and when alarmed, it squawks.