Our facination with the Great Blue Heron
December 4th, 2008 by Dan Bodenstein
Great Blue Heron
What is it about the Great Blue Heron that fascinates us? As a resident Floridian I often see visitors gawk and gaze that the Great Blues in way that is different than when they look at other birds. What is it about the Great Blue? Is it its size? The Great Blue is the largest of the North American herons standing on average 55 inches tall. Is it its color? The blue-grey coloring of its feathers, it’s bark blue plumes, and it’s yellowish beak. What exactly is it?
The Great Blue is found throughout North America, including parts of Canada and Alaska. It has a range that extends south to Mexico, Florida and even into the Caribbean and South America. They tend to stay near lake edges, marshes, wetlands, swamps or any other flooded areas. Their primary food is small fish. I’ve seen Great Blues and Great Whites swoop down, grab a fish and swallow it whole. It’s an impressive site.
Great Blue Heron
But I think the Great Blue Heron holds a different, deeper, meaning for us that actually has roots in our childhood. The Great Blue Heron is the only bird that closely resembles a prehistoric Pterodactyl. That’s right … dinosaurs. Absurd you say? Watch a Great Blue in flight and you’ll see how closely it resembles a pterodactyl. Many scientist believe that certain species of dinosaurs evolved into birds. Some dinosaur remains have been found with feather fossils.
Is it possible the Great Blue Heron is a decedent of the pterodactyl?
In December of 2007, a Washington man said a Pterodactyl caused him to swerve his car into a pole. He was not intoxicated, but was absolute about the fact that it was a pterodactyl. Young children often refer to the Great Blue as a Pterodactyl (usually by saying “a dinosaur” when it’s in flight. I’ve actually heard children do this at a local wetland.
The next time you see a Great Blue Heron, ask yourself if it looks like a pterodactyl.
Comments
We see quite a few of them here in Ohio, and I always stop to look at them. They are gorgeous creatures. Their appearance isn’t the only thing that evokes visions of a prehistoric era, their cry does too.
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