A heron is a heron, right? Nope. There are 64 different kinds. And did you know that the South Pole is the only place you won’t find a heron? And also did you know that the Great Blue Heron, like me, can be as tall as a third-grader but weigh about the same as a newborn baby.
Below are some crazy facts about me and my fellow herons.
Herons cool and warm themselves by opening their wings. This looks pretty silly doesn’t it?
Freshwater or saltwater doesn’t matter to herons. They like both.
Many herons live in what are called “colonies” with as many 500 other birds.
Herons use the special toothed-edge toenail on their middle toe to comb and clean their feathers.
If you have a fish pond in your backyard, watch out for herons visiting you.
When you wake up in the dark, can you see anything? Herons can.
Male Great Blue Herons collect sticks for the female to build the nest over 3-14 days.
Herons can eat up to 11 pounds of fish a day, about the same weight as two bags of flour.
Herons fly south in the winter, but some only go as far south as Pennsylvania.
The bill on a heron is like a dagger, which is used to stab fish to eat.
