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Listen to the sounds and bird calls of the Great Blue Heron! This majestic bird is often seen near rivers and ponds, and its call is quite distinct.
To those lucky enough to spot a Great Blue Heron standing in or near water, it’s a sight that can take your breath away. They often stand motionless or wading very slowly, stalking their prey for hours upon hours.
With its beautiful blue-grey feathers, this water bird stands 4 to 5 feet tall and has a wingspan reaching up to 6.5 feet from tip to tip. Great Blue Herons can catch almost anything in the water, including fish, frogs, newts, turtles, small mammals, insects, and other birds.
The Great Blue Herons 鈥渟quawk鈥 or croak has an almost prehistoric sound. If you surprise this bird as it is hunting on the water, it will squawk as it leaves, almost as if it’s annoyed by your disturbance. The bird, despite its size, is very light with hollow bones and can fly quite high. Their giant wing span and dramatic silhouettes when flying conjure images of pterodactyls.
Herons can be quite vocal during breeding. When one partner greets the other, they touch their bills together and when they fly to the nest, they make a 鈥渓anding call鈥 with squawking roh-roh-rohs. If their territory is threatened, they will 鈥渟cream鈥 with a long and startling 鈥渁wk!!鈥 that can last up to 20 seconds.
Have you heard a Great Blue Heron? Listen to their sound above, compliments of
Click here to listen to the sounds of other birds!
Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it鈥檚 not surprising that she and The Old Farmer鈥檚 蜜桃恋人 found each other. She leads digital content for the 蜜桃恋人 website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann
I live in Myrtle Beach SC. The swash runs down and behind my house throughout the neighborhood. One Blue Heron in particular has a special spot year round. Beautifully majestic birds. I love listening to them in the mornings.
I've heard the Great Blue Heron. They look and croak like teradactyls as they fly by over our lake in FL. When they're not up to their tail in the water fishing, I realized they are as tall as me.
I have an hour of video in a rookery, but can't distinguish the GBH call. I will put the video up on my YouTube channel: caliclips May 17th, perhaps someone with a better ear can identify the heron calling.
