Great Blue Heron vs Northern Gannet

Ardea herodias в сравнении с Morus bassanus

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Характеристика Great Blue Heron Northern Gannet
Научное название Ardea herodias Morus bassanus
Отряд Pelecaniformes Suliformes
Семейство Ardeidae Sulidae
Охранный статус Least Concern Least Concern
Длина 117,0 cm (46.1 in) 93,0 cm (36.6 in)
Размах крыльев 183,0 cm (72.0 in) 180,0 cm (70.9 in)
Масса 2400,0 g (84.66 oz) 3000,0 g (105.82 oz)
Питание Primarily fish, also frogs, snakes, small mammals, insects, and other birds. Hunts by standing motionless … Shoaling fish, especially mackerel, herring, and capelin. Plunge-dives from heights of 30 meters at speeds …
Размер кладки 2-7 1
Population Trend
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Size Comparison

Body Length
Great Blue Heron 117,0 cm
Northern Gannet 93,0 cm
Размах крыльев
Great Blue Heron 183,0 cm
Northern Gannet 180,0 cm
Масса
Great Blue Heron 2400,0 g
Northern Gannet 3000,0 g
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Habitat Comparison

Общие среды обитания

Нет

Great Blue Heron only

Northern Gannet only

Great Blue Heron

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

Northern Gannet

Open ocean and coastal waters. Breeds in dense colonies on steep rocky islands and sea stacks.

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Song & Call Comparison

Great Blue Heron

Пение

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.

Northern Gannet

Пение

Loud, harsh 'urrah-urrah' grunting and croaking at breeding colonies on sea stacks. Also gives a softer 'karrr' in flight. Large colonies are extremely noisy during the breeding season.

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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.

Northern Gannet

North Atlantic, breeding from Newfoundland and Gulf of St. Lawrence to Norway, Iceland, and Britain. Winters at sea south to the tropics.

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Охранный статус

Least Concern

Great Blue Heron

Least Concern

Northern Gannet

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How to Tell Them Apart

Great Blue Heron

Оперение

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.

Клюв

Long, dagger-like yellowish bill

Northern Gannet

Оперение

Brilliant white body with black wingtips and a golden-yellow wash on the head and nape. Blue-grey bill with dark lines and pale blue eye-ring.

Клюв

Long, straight, pointed, pale blue-grey bill with serrated edges

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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.

Northern Gannet

The northern gannet is a spectacular plunge-diver, folding its two-meter wingspan into an arrow shape to hit the water at up to 100 km/h. Air sacs under the skin and a reinforced skull protect it from the impact. Bass Rock in Scotland hosts over 150,000 gannets, the largest single colony of any seabird in the world.

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