The Great Blue Heron has a home in the heartland.
Frawnk. Frawnk. Frawnk.
Often mistaken for a crane, the great blue heron is known for the noise it makes: “frawnk.” This species of heron, a commonly spotted Missouri bird, is about three- to five feet tall and characterized by its long bill, wings, legs, and S-shaped neck.
This bird typically eats small animals like fish, snakes, and frogs and dwells near rivers, lakes, and ponds. Most of the time, the great blue heron is standing like “a stone statue,” but then suddenly, “they will dart their beak into the water and oftentimes come out with a fish or frog,” says Bill Mees, a 15-year member of the Columbia Audubon Society, a society centered around bird education and preservation.
While they often hang out by the water, these birds nest in colonies of hundreds in treetops near food sources. The group nesting sites are also known as rookeries. The nests are made of sticks and vegetation.
Great blue herons usually lay three to six eggs, which are incubated for about a month. If this species of heron can make it past its first year of life—70 percent don’t, due to predators—then they can live for about 15 years, says Kristen Heath-Acre, ornithologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation.
The great blue heron is typically a year-round resident of Missouri, but some migrate to the south in the fall. “I think more are sticking around in Missouri lately because of climate change. They need open water,” Kristen says. “They can’t stick around if there’s ice over lakes and ponds, but climate change warms things up.”
Lucky for Missouri, the great blue heron is one of the few dozen animal species that are increasing in abundance in the state, Kristen adds.
“Biodiversity is always good for Missouri,” Kristen says. “So having a native species that is common with a healthy population size is a good sign for our ecosystem here.”
This article was originally published in the May 2025 edition of Missouri Life.
All photos by Aneeta Brown
