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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute	White-necked Heron	Great Blue Heron
Scientific Name	Ardea pacifica	Ardea herodias
Order	Pelecaniformes	Pelecaniformes
Family	Ardeidae	Ardeidae
Conservation Status	Least Concern	Least Concern
Length	—	117.0 cm (46.1 in)
Wingspan	77.0 cm (30.3 in)	183.0 cm (72.0 in)
Weight	910.0 g (32.10 oz)	2400.0 g (84.66 oz)
Diet	--	Primarily fish, also frogs, snakes, small mammals, insects, and other birds. Hunts by standing motionless …
Clutch Size	3-4	2-7
Population Trend	—	—

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Size Comparison

Body Length

White-necked Heron —

Great Blue Heron 117.0 cm

Wingspan

White-necked Heron 77.0 cm

Great Blue Heron 183.0 cm

Weight

White-necked Heron 910.0 g

Great Blue Heron 2400.0 g

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Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

🌿 Wetland

White-necked Heron only

None

Great Blue Heron only

🌾 Grassland

Great Blue Heron

Wetlands of all types including marshes, swamps, riverbanks, lake edges, and coastal shores. Also hunts in fields and meadows.

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Song & Call Comparison

White-necked Heron

Great Blue Heron

Song

Deep, harsh, croaking 'frahnk-frahnk' call in flight. Also gives low guttural grunts at the nest. Alarmed birds give repeated croaks. Mostly silent for such a large wader.

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Geographic Range & Migration

White-necked Heron

Great Blue Heron

North and Central America from Alaska and southern Canada to the Caribbean and Galapagos Islands.

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Conservation Status

Least Concern

White-necked Heron

Least Concern

Great Blue Heron

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How to Tell Them Apart

White-necked Heron

Great Blue Heron

Plumage

Blue-grey body with a white head bearing a broad black stripe extending to a long black plume. Rufous-brown thighs. In flight, the neck is folded into an S-shape.

Bill

Long, dagger-like yellowish bill

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About These Birds

White-necked Heron

Great Blue Heron

The great blue heron is the largest heron in North America, standing up to 1.4 meters tall. These patient hunters can stand motionless for extended periods before striking at prey with remarkable speed. They nest in large colonies called heronries, often returning to the same site year after year.

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