Great Blue Heron vs Mandarin Duck
Ardea herodias compared with Aix galericulata
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Great Blue Heron | Mandarin Duck |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ardea herodias | Aix galericulata |
| Order | Pelecaniformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Ardeidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | 117.0 cm (46.1 in) | 44.0 cm (17.3 in) |
| Wingspan | 183.0 cm (72.0 in) | 70.0 cm (27.6 in) |
| Weight | 2400.0 g (84.66 oz) | 570.0 g (20.11 oz) |
| Diet | Primarily fish, also frogs, snakes, small mammals, insects, and other birds. Hunts by standing motionless … | Seeds, acorns, grains, aquatic plants, insects, snails, and small fish. Forages by dabbling, walking, and … |
| Clutch Size | 2-7 | 7-14 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Great Blue Heron
Wetlands of all types including marshes, swamps, riverbanks, lake edges, and coastal shores. Also hunts in fields and meadows.
Mandarin Duck
Wooded lakes, rivers, and ponds surrounded by dense forest. Unlike most ducks, regularly perches in trees and nests in tree cavities.
Song & Call Comparison
Great Blue Heron
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.
Mandarin Duck
Male gives a low whistled 'hib' or 'weep'. Female utters a soft quacking 'kek'. Generally quiet and secretive. No loud territorial song; vocalizations subtle and brief.
Geographic Range & Migration
Great Blue Heron
North and Central America from Alaska and southern Canada to the Caribbean and Galapagos Islands.
Mandarin Duck
Native to East Asia including eastern Russia, China, Japan, and Korea. Feral populations established in Britain and western Europe.
Conservation Status
Great Blue Heron
Mandarin Duck
How to Tell Them Apart
Great Blue Heron
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.
Long, dagger-like yellowish bill
Mandarin Duck
Breeding males have an elaborate pattern of orange, green, white, and purple with distinctive orange sail feathers on the back. Females are grey-brown with a white eye-ring and stripe.
Small red bill in breeding males, pinkish in females
About These Birds
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.
Mandarin Duck
The mandarin duck is widely considered the most beautiful duck in the world. In East Asian culture, mandarin ducks symbolize love and fidelity because they form strong pair bonds. Unlike most ducks, mandarins nest in tree holes up to 9 meters above the ground, and day-old ducklings must leap to the ground.