Great Blue Heron vs Raggiana Bird-of-paradise
Ardea herodias compared with Paradisaea raggiana
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Great Blue Heron | Raggiana Bird-of-paradise |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Ardea herodias | Paradisaea raggiana |
| Order | Pelecaniformes | Passeriformes |
| Family | Ardeidae | Paradisaeidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | 117.0 cm (46.1 in) | 34.0 cm (13.4 in) |
| Wingspan | 183.0 cm (72.0 in) | 45.0 cm (17.7 in) |
| Weight | 2400.0 g (84.66 oz) | 260.0 g (9.17 oz) |
| Diet | Primarily fish, also frogs, snakes, small mammals, insects, and other birds. Hunts by standing motionless … | Fruit, seeds, arthropods, and small vertebrates. Males display at communal lek sites to attract females. |
| Clutch Size | 2-7 | 1-2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
None
Great Blue Heron only
Raggiana Bird-of-paradise only
Great Blue Heron
Wetlands of all types including marshes, swamps, riverbanks, lake edges, and coastal shores. Also hunts in fields and meadows.
Raggiana Bird-of-paradise
Tropical rainforest and forest edge from lowlands to mid-montane elevations in New Guinea.
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.
Raggiana Bird-of-paradise
Males emit harsh, buzzy 'kraaak' calls and explosive wailing during display. Females give softer 'waak' contact calls. Display calls are loud and chaotic at leks.
Geographic Range & Migration
Great Blue Heron
North and Central America from Alaska and southern Canada to the Caribbean and Galapagos Islands.
Raggiana Bird-of-paradise
Southern and eastern New Guinea. Endemic to Papua New Guinea.
Conservation Status
Great Blue Heron
Raggiana Bird-of-paradise
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
Raggiana Bird-of-paradise
Males have a yellow crown, emerald-green throat, and spectacular cascading orange-red flank plumes. Females are brown with rufous underparts.
Stout, slightly curved, blue-grey bill
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.
Raggiana Bird-of-paradise
The raggiana bird-of-paradise is the national bird of Papua New Guinea, featured on the national flag and coat of arms. Males gather at traditional display trees to perform elaborate courtship dances, hanging upside down and shaking their spectacular flank plumes. Alfred Russel Wallace first described the species in 1873.