Heron Diet: Opportunistic Eaters
What Ardeidae Eat: Frogs, Muskrats, Songbirds and Prairie Dogs
You will often see a great blue heron, the largest heron in North America, standing silently hunched along the banks of rivers, lakes, and marshes; they resemble old men in grey raincoats as they sit waiting for a meal to pass under their watchful eyes, their necks pulled tight into their shoulders.
Ardeidae: Sibley’s Take on a Well-Known Bird
Herons stalk their prey slowly and expertly, moving their large feet quietly through the shallow water, waiting patiently for the fish or frog. Herons’ long legs and necks allow them to forage in a variety of habitats and their bills enable them to spear or grasp prey. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior emphasizes the heron’s long, slender neck that is kinked like an ‘S.’ The bones in the specially designed neck coil, allowing the bird to strike with staggering speed.
Of all the Ardeidae (the family name for herons, egrets and bitterns), great blue herons are known among ornithologists for eating almost anything that will fit down their throats. Whatbird.com describes their diet as “consisting of fish, frogs, salamanders, lizards, snakes, shrimps, crabs, crayfish, dragonflies, grasshoppers, and aquatic insects.” These prey are not that surprising, but herons and egrets have been known to supplement their already varied diets with more unexpected choices.
Warblers, Muskrats, Kittens: Great Blue Heron’s Food
The two great blue herons walked calmly around Bret’s southern Florida backyard in October of 2006, calmly picking off palm warblers. The tiny songbirds hardly acknowledged the potential threat as they scoured the yard for insects in the grass, pumping their tails and chipping quietly. The herons swallowed the warblers in one clean and smooth motion, ignoring the piercing cries.
On Maryland’s eastern shore, Gail Orlond was lucky enough to see a great blue heron tackle a muskrat. She was watching the heron hunting along the edge of the water next to her house, when suddenly, “bingo it reached down and what it grabbed was furry!”
Eager soccer moms have witnessed herons prowling the edges of soccer fields and picking off prairie dogs when the rodents dared to peep from their holes. Some other interesting heron dinners include ducklings, baby alligators, squirrels, and even kittens!
Opportunist Hunters
It is truly amazing that herons and egrets can overcome the several pounds of fighting fury that must be involved when swallowing a muskrat or prairie dog; but, it is not surprising that there have been reports of the birds choking to death when their eyes have been bigger than their beaks.
It seems that herons are the ultimate in opportunistic hunters. They take advantage of any available food, no matter how bizarre, but environmental conditions generally do not force them from their normal diet of fish and amphibians.
Wildlife biologist and bald eagle expert Rob Domenech, says that great blue herons are the only predators that an eagle on a nest fears; nothing is out of the realm of possibilities for a hungry heron—not even bald eagle nestlings!
Great Blue Heron with Turtle Lunch in Florida
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