12 Types of Heron Birds

Herons are graceful aquatic birds that live across North America. They are thrilling to watch in their wetland habitats as they carefully move through vegetation and shallow water. But sometimes they can be challenging to tell apart. Discover 12 types of heron birds and learn how to identify them by appearance, habitat, nest location, and calls.

Great Blue Heron

Habitat: The great blue heron is a year-round resident throughout most of the United States. Populations that breed in northern areas migrate to Mexico for winter. You can find these birds in marshes, swamps, and tide flats. 

Appearance: They are the largest North American heron, featuring long legs, curved necks, and dagger-like bills. They are bluish-gray with yellow beaks and black eye stripes.

Diet: Fish, frogs, turtles, snakes, insects, rodents, and birds

Calls: Harsh squawks and croaks

Nest: A stick platform placed in trees above water

Little Blue Heron

Habitat: The little blue heron has scattered populations across the US, where it lives year-round in the southeast along the coast and breeds occasionally in freshwater inland. They inhabit marshes, swamps, rice fields, ponds, and shores. 

Appearance: These small herons have slender necks, long legs, and straight bills. Adults are dark gray-blue with maroon heads and juveniles are all white.

Diet: Fish, crustaceans, lizards, frogs, snakes, turtles, and spiders

Calls: Hoarse squawks, croaks, and screams (usually silent)

Nest: A stick platform placed in shrubs or trees

American Bittern

Habitat: Northern breeding populations migrate to the southern US and Mexico during winter. They live in freshwater marshes and reedy lakes with plenty of cattails and sedges.

Appearance: American bitterns are medium-sized herons with thick necks, short legs, and a hunched posture. Their plumage is streaky brown, buff, and white.

Diet: Fish, frogs, aquatic insects, crabs, and garter snakes

Calls: Loud pumping sounds

Nest: A grass platform in dense marsh growth

Black-crowned Night Heron

Habitat: These herons live in many aquatic habitats, such as marshes, swamps, shores, rivers, and ponds. Populations along the coasts live there permanently and breeding groups can be found throughout the rest of the country.

Appearance: Small, thick herons with flat heads and heavy bills. Adults are light gray with black backs and crowns and yellow legs.

Diet: Fish, crustaceans, aquatic insects, snakes, frogs, rodents, and carrion

Calls: Loud barks and croaks

Nest: A stick platform in marsh vegetation

Green Heron

Habitat: You can find the green heron in the eastern United States and along the west coast. Look for them in marshes, swamps, lakes, ponds, and streamsides.

Appearance: They are short, stocky herons with thick necks and broad wings. These birds are difficult to spot because their plumage looks all dark from a distance. But they have deep green backs and caps with chestnut breasts and necks.

Diet: Small fish, aquatic insects, crustaceans, frogs, snakes, and small rodents

Calls: Sharp “skyow!”

Nest: A stick platform in shrubs or trees

Cattle Egret

Habitat: Cattle egrets are strongly migratory, moving through most of the United States and breeding in the southeast. You can find them in marshes, flooded fields, farms, and roadsides.

Appearance: They are small, compact herons with short legs and thick necks. They are all white except for the golden plumes on their head, yellow legs, and yellow bills.

Diet: Insects, frogs, spiders, and baby birds

Calls: Hoarse croaks

Nest: Shallow stick bowl in trees or shrubs

Great Egret

Habitat: Great egrets are scattered across the United States with the most abundant populations in the southeast. They inhabit marshes, ponds, shores, and mud flats.

Appearance: These birds are tall with exceptionally long necks and legs. They are all white with yellow bills and black legs.

Diet: Fish, crustaceans, frogs, snakes, and aquatic insects

Calls: Gutteral croaks and loud squawks

Nest: A stick platform in trees or shrubs near water

Glossy Ibis

Habitat: The glossy ibis lives along the United State’s eastern coast, where they inhabit marshes, rice fields, and swamps. They will live in either fresh or saltwater.

Appearance: These medium-sized birds are compact with long necks and long legs. Most of their body is rich maroon and their wings are metallic green, bronze, and purple.

Diet: Insects, snakes, snails, crabs, frogs, and fish

Calls: Low grunts and bleats

Nest: A stick platform in low trees over water

Snowy Egret

Habitat: Another bird of southern coasts, the snowy egret inhabits marshes, ponds, swamps, and shores. You will sometimes find them foraging in dry fields.

Appearance: These medium-sized herons have thin legs, slender bills, and small heads. They have all-white plumage black legs, black bills, and yellow feet.

Diet: Fish, insects, and crustaceans

Calls: Harsh squawks and gagging croaks

Nest: A stick platform in trees or shrubs

Least Bittern

Habitat: The least bittern breeds in the eastern half of the United States, with some populations living year-round in southern Florida. You will find them primarily in freshwater marshes and reedy ponds, but you can occasionally find them in brackish water.

Appearance: They are very small herons with long toes and dagger-like bills. Adults are grayish-brown above and buff or brown below with white racing stripes and yellow legs.

Diet: Fish, insects, leeches, frogs, and snakes

Calls: Soft coos and chuckles

Nest: A well-concealed platform made from marsh grasses

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Habitat: The yellow-crowned night heron breeds in the southeast and lives year-round in Florida. You can find them in cypress swamps, mangroves, bayous, and streams.

Appearance: These small herons are stocky with thick necks and short legs. They have streaky gray plumage with black and white faces and yellow-orange legs.

Diet: Crustaceans, frogs, insects, and fish

Calls: Loud high-pitched quacks

Nest: A stick platform in trees over the ground

Tri-colored Heron

Habitat: Tri-colored herons live in saltwater marshes, coastal estuaries, mangroves, and lagoons. They live year-round along the United State’s east coast and the Gulf of Mexico.

Appearance: They are slim, medium-sized herons with long bills and thin, curve necks. They are a mix of bluish-gray and lavender above and white below. Breeding birds have pink legs and nonbreeding birds have yellow legs.

Diet: Small fish

Calls: Scratchy nasal calls and snaps

Nest: A loose twig platform on islands with dense vegetation

What Does Seeing a Heron Mean Spiritually?

Spying a heron, such a beautifully elegant bird, is a special occasion, and many people believe bird sightings hold symbolism. Herons are birds of good fortune. If you see many herons, abundance is within your grasp. These graceful birds also symbolize balance and self-reliance. They practice stillness, and this is a reminder to be still and mindful. Sometimes the next step in life is to wait. The heron watcher is to be reminded to trust in herself, seek spiritual balance in a chaotic world, and expect good things to happen. The Cherokee believe the heron symbolizes harmony. They thrive in their habitat. Their patience, waiting to snatch a fish when the time is right, is a mindful practice. Humans can learn much from the heron.

Summary of 12 Types of Heron Birds

All of these herons spend at least part of their time in North America near coasts, marshes, ponds, and wetlands.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Don Mammoser/Shutterstock.com