Cute Big Cranky

Great Blue Heron

The Great Blue Heron is our 227th cute Birdorable and the answer to yesterday's Spot the Birdorable. If you live in North America you've probably seen these around near water as they are quite common. It has several nicknames, including Big Cranky, Blue Crane, Long John and Poor Joe. Did you know that all Herons have two or more patches of powder-down feathers on their breasts? The feathers break up into a fine power when crushed. The birds apply this powder to areas of blood, mud or slime to absorb the mess. Once it has clumped up they can just scrape it off with their feet. They also sprinkle the powder on fish that they just caught to more easily clean off the slime and oil before eating it.

Twilight
Photo by Gary Woodburn (via Flickr)

If you like this bird see our other egrets and waders. We've also added the grey equivalent of this bird: the Grey Heron, which can be found across temperate Europe, Asia and parts of Africa.

Comments

Canaduck on January 29, 2010 at 9:37 PM wrote:
That is SO cute. I've never heard GBH's being called "Big Cranky" before, but the name fits, to be sure!
Kim B. on June 9, 2011 at 2:32 PM wrote:
I love GBH. Which reminds me that I need to go over the the heronry/rookery and check out the babies.
molly on October 1, 2011 at 1:49 AM wrote:
awwwwwwwww its soooo cute
Spurwing Plover on April 12, 2020 at 5:02 AM wrote:
I have seen Great Blue Herons my Grandma called them Icabods
Reed on May 14, 2020 at 1:10 PM wrote:
I see alot of GBHS at falls lake which is the lake near my house

Leave a comment

Comments with links or HTML will be deleted. Your comment will be published pending approval.
Your email address will not be published
You can unsubscribe from these communications at any time. For more information on how to unsubscribe, our privacy practices, and how we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy, please review our Privacy Policy. By clicking submit below, you consent to allow Birdorable to store and process the personal information submitted above to provide you the content requested.

A Closer Look at the Crested Owl: The Owl with Elegant White Crests

Today’s new species is a very special type of owl with a unique look. The Crested Owl, as the name suggests, is known for the striking long white head crests that adorn its crown. These crests extend upward from what appear...

2014 Bonanza Bird #4: White-faced Ibis

The fourth bird in our 2014 Bonanza is a North American wader with a curved bill. It's the White-faced Ibis! The White-faced Ibis is one of three ibis species found regularly in the...

2013 Bonanza Bird #19: King Bird-of-paradise

We're adding one new bird each day until we reach our 500th Birdorable species on the last day of July. Today's Bonanza bird is the King Bird-of-paradise. The King Bird-of-paradise is the smallest of the bird-of-paradise family. It lives in Papau New Guinea...

Happy International Vulture Awareness Day

Today is International Vulture Awareness day! Zoos, conservation organizations and other groups around the world are celebrating vultures this weekend. Vultures serve a very important role in the world's ecosystem. By removing dead animal remains these scavenging birds clean up the environment and help prevent diseases from spreading. Unfortunately,...