Raising Great Blue Herons

The Great Blue Heron is the largest heron in North America, three or four feet tall and having a wingspan of roughly six feet. But they don’t start out so large, and raising Great Blue Herons requires dedication and attention. The adults take turns incubating the eggs for about a month before the chicks hatch over a period of several days. Newborn Great Blue Herons are semi-altricial, with open eyes, downy, unable to leave the nest, and reliant on parents for food. The following images are of a Great Blue Heron family and the development of the two siblings until fledging.

Great Blue Heron parent and chick (second chick is lying down)

Parents take turns staying with the young chicks while the other forages for food. A parent returning to the nest brings lots of excitement.

Food is often swallowed by the parent and then regurgitated at the nest to feed the chicks. Typically the enthusiastic chicks are impatient as they await their next meal.

As the observant chicks grow, they learn from their parents and each other as they begin to test their wings in the nest.

Chicks fledge roughly 50-80 days after hatching, still remaining dependent on their parents for food for a few more weeks.

Fledged Great Blue Herons