Bird of the week 2024 | Great blue heron


Great blue heron [MichaelWarren.com]

Home » Education
Posted May 14, 2024 | By Michael Warren

Great blue heron

The Great blue heron, standing up to 4 feet tall, is the largest and most widespread heron in North America. Its wingspan stretches up to 7 feet across. Their plumes were once highly prized hat decorations, which led to them being hunted nearly to extinction in the early 20th century. This one was photographed at Shalom Park in Ocala.

newspaper icon

Support community journalism

The first goal of the Ocala Gazette is to deliver trustworthy local journalism so corruption, misinformation and abuse are not hidden from the public or unchallenged.

We count on community support to continue this important work. Please donate or subscribe:

Subscribe