Category Archives: Birds – Waterfowl

Birds commonly found in or near waterways.

Great Blue Heron

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Of the many bird species that inhabit wetlands, perhaps none is more iconic than the Great Blue Heron. Great Blue Herons get their name from their blue-gray plumage and their large size. A fully grown adult bird is an impressive sight. It can stand about 4 feet tall, with a wing span of 6 feet.

Great Blue Herons are one of the most widespread species of wading birds in the Western Hemisphere.

Males perform elaborate courtship displays during the mating season. They also construct nests of sticks and twigs as high as 50 or 60 feet in trees to discourage predation by animals like raccoons. Great Blue Herons use the same nests year after year, adding on to them during each breeding season. As a result, these nests can get quite large over time.

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Great Blue Herons are not picky eaters. They feed on a wide range of aquatic animals, such as fish, frogs, snakes, small turtles and aquatic insects. In upland areas, they will also feed on small mammals, such as mice. These birds are solitary hunters and are rarely found in close proximity to one another.

Their feeding technique is to stand very still, watching for movement in the water by a potential food source. When the time is right, they swiftly dart their head into the water, spearing their hapless victim with their beak.

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Wood Duck

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While exploring a nearby National Park, many birds were observed calling, making nests, bonding and getting ready to produce offspring – or already raising them. One of these is the Wood Duck – perhaps the most colorful of North American waterfowl.

Reverence for their appearance goes all the way back to prehistoric Indians who regularly featured them on bowls and pipes. The adult male has distinctive multicoloured iridescent plumage and red eyes, with a white flare down the neck. The female is less colourful and has a white eye-ring. Both males and females have crested heads.

These birds live in wooded swamps, where they nest in holes in trees. They are one of the few duck species equipped with strong claws that can grip bark, allowing them to perch on branches.

After hatching, the ducklings jump down from the nest tree and make their way to water. The mother calls them to her, but does not help them. The ducklings may jump from heights of up to 300 feet without injury.

We often think of colorful birds with exotic lifestyles as living in far away places, but we have some very interesting species here in northeast Ohio.

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White-faced Ibis

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Wading birds in the Mojave? It may not seem that it could be possible, but the desert is full of surprises.

These were seen at a Wildlife Management Area I was visiting in Nevada.

The White-faced Ibis is a long-legged wading bird with reddish eyes and a long, slender, downward-curved bill. Its plumage is chestnut colored with green and purple iridescence. These are the first wild ibis I’ve ever seen.

They are found in wetland habitats such as marshes, swamps, ponds, rivers, irrigated agricultural lands, along shores, and in shallow water. These birds are wary and shy, making getting close to them difficult.

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