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Side-by-Side Comparison

属性	Great Blue Heron	Little Bittern
学名	Ardea herodias	Ixobrychus minutus
目	Pelecaniformes	Pelecaniformes
科	Ardeidae	Ardeidae
保护状况	Least Concern	Least Concern
体长	117.0 cm (46.1 in)	—
翼展	183.0 cm (72.0 in)	28.5 cm (11.2 in)
体重	2400.0 g (84.66 oz)	104.5 g (3.69 oz)
食性	Primarily fish, also frogs, snakes, small mammals, insects, and other birds. Hunts by standing motionless …	--
产卵数	2-7	2-9
Population Trend	—	—

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Size Comparison

Body Length

Great Blue Heron 117.0 cm

Little Bittern —

翼展

Great Blue Heron 183.0 cm

Little Bittern 28.5 cm

体重

Great Blue Heron 2400.0 g

Little Bittern 104.5 g

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Habitat Comparison

共同栖息地

🌿 Wetland 🌾 Grassland

Great Blue Heron only

无

Little Bittern 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

鸣唱

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.

Little Bittern

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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.

Little Bittern

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保护状况

Least Concern

Great Blue Heron

Least Concern

Little Bittern

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How to Tell Them Apart

Great Blue Heron

羽毛

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.

喙

Long, dagger-like yellowish bill

Little Bittern

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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.

Little Bittern

小麻鸦（约140克）是欧洲体型最小的鹭类，栖居于芦苇地，在苇丛中移动时极为隐蔽。雄鸟具有黑色上体和皮黄色下体。以鱼类、青蛙和昆虫为食。无危；但种群数量下降，在欧洲部分地区已被列为濒危或易危。

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