great blue heron

A large heron (Ardea herodias) of North and Central America, having blue-gray plumage and a predominantly white head with a dark crest.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

great′ blue′ her′on

a large North American heron, Ardea herodias, having bluish gray plumage.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

great blue heron - large American heron having bluish-grey plumage

Ardea herodius

heron - grey or white wading bird with long neck and long legs and (usually) long bill

Ardea, genus Ardea - type genus of the Ardeidae: large New and Old World herons

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References in periodicals archive

The great blue heron. University of British Columbia Press, Vancouver, Canada.

Shifts in Great Blue Heron Habitat use Following Nest Site Usurpation: Implications for Salmonids

And yet, for whatever reason, this particular predaceous great blue heron and this particular boy have an odd thing going on.

Our connection to creation: the lesson of a boy and his heron

Critique: A fascinating read that is both thoughtful and thought-provoking, "Soul External: Rediscovering The Great Blue Heron" offers an extraordinary literary experience that will linger in the mind long after the book is finished and set back upon the shelf.

Soul External: Rediscovering The Great Blue Heron

Closer to the water, Great Blue Herons and Snowy Egrets stood in the swash zone of incoming waves.

Avian predators target nocturnal runs of the beach-spawning marine fish, California Grunion, Leuresthes tenuis (Atherinopsidae)

On 24 April 2009, we recovered a dead, emaciated Great Blue Heron from a small pond near Jacksonville, Jackson County, Oregon.

Hatchlings of the western pond turtle (Actinemys marmorata) in diet of Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Think of a great blue heron with a 40-foot wingspan, and you'll get an idea of what Quetzalcoatlus northropi was like 65 million years ago, says evolutionary biologist Kevin Padian of the University of California, Berkeley.

Flight lessons from extinct flapper

OF THE MANY BIRD SPECIES that inhabit wetlands, perhaps none is more iconic than the Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias).

The great blue heron: meet North America's master angler

Francis of Assisi" and "Great Blue Heron" are also on display.

Counter-demonstrators outnumber Ganesha protesters in Idaho

But it wasn't until later that he noticed a great blue heron lingering at the edge of the frame--the detail that truly makes the image.

In the moment

Sterling tracks like, 'Red Tail Hawk' and, 'Eagle' from Animal Totems, and, 'Great Blue Heron' and, 'Snake Medicine' from Animal Totems 2 are the perfect compliment to the 'magic fingers' relieving all that daily stress and tension.

Music for Wellness & Bliss: Arvel Bird

The plate images currently released in the Double Elephant Folio include some of Audubon's most admired birds, such as "Great Blue Heron," "Wild Turkey" and "Roseate Spoonbill."

"Audubon Centennial Edition" to be introduced at Artexpo

With the pond frozen over, this great blue heron is patiently waiting out the cold spell--and it was patient enough to wait for a three-minute exposure with almost perfect stillness.

Through the eye of a needle: the science, art, and stewardship of pinhole photography