Great Blue Heron Juvenile
Ardea herodias (juvenile)
Juveniles leave the nest with duller, streakier plumage than adults and a less cleanly marked head and neck. They frequent marsh edges, ponds, tidal flats, and slow streams while learning the patient wading and quick bill strikes used to catch fish, frogs, crayfish, insects, and small reptiles. Young birds often miss strikes as they refine their timing and balance in shallow water. They can disperse widely after fledging, sometimes appearing far from their nesting colony.
- Type
- Water
- Conservation status
- LC
Growth chain
- Great Blue Heron Chick
- Great Blue Heron Juvenile
- Great Blue Heron