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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute	Great Blue Heron	Capped Heron
Scientific Name	Ardea herodias	Pilherodius pileatus
Order	Pelecaniformes	Pelecaniformes
Family	Ardeidae	Ardeidae
Conservation Status	Least Concern	Least Concern
Length	117.0 cm (46.1 in)	—
Wingspan	183.0 cm (72.0 in)	54.6 cm (21.5 in)
Weight	2400.0 g (84.66 oz)	550.8333333333334 g (19.43 oz)
Diet	Primarily fish, also frogs, snakes, small mammals, insects, and other birds. Hunts by standing motionless …	--
Clutch Size	2-7	2-4
Population Trend	—	—

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Size Comparison

Body Length

Great Blue Heron 117.0 cm

Capped Heron —

Wingspan

Great Blue Heron 183.0 cm

Capped Heron 54.6 cm

Weight

Great Blue Heron 2400.0 g

Capped Heron 550.8333333333334 g

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Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

🌾 Grassland 🌿 Wetland

Great Blue Heron only

None

Capped Heron only

🌲 Forest

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

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.

Capped Heron

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Geographic Range & Migration

Great Blue Heron

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

Capped Heron

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Conservation Status

Least Concern

Great Blue Heron

Least Concern

Capped Heron

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How to Tell Them Apart

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

Capped Heron

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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.

Capped Heron

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