Moving to Costa Rica allowed me to discover and learn about a whole host of new species that I hadn’t been acquainted with before. Birds that I now know well like the long-tailed manakin and Montezuma’s oropendola, were mysteries in need of exploration when I first arrived. On the other hand, there are other species present in this wonderful little country that I already knew quite well.
Great blue herons, for instance, have been delighting me since I was a kid sitting in the backseat of my parent’s car driving by lakes in southern New Jersey. I still get a kick out of seeing them while stamping around in Costa Rica’s wild places. The great blue heron (Ardea herodias) is known as the or in Spanish.
These birds are both big and beautiful. At 52 inches tall and with a wingspan that can reach over 6 feet, the great blue heron is Costa Rica’s largest species of heron. They have long dark legs, long gray necks and a long yellow bill.
The word ‘elegant’ comes to mind when you see them. As one might expect from a bird with this build, great blue herons inhabit wetlands. They’re found around any fresh and saltwater habitat that you can think of including streams, marshes, seashores, lakes, and mangroves.
If there’s a watery environment stretching from Canada to northern South America, you have a chance of spotting a great blue heron standing majestically at the water’s edge. (Depending on the time of year. We’ll get into that.
) Great blue herons use their long, .