Ardea herodias
Order Pelecaniformes
Family Ardeidae
Subfamily Ardeinae
Adult.— Crown black, divided by a broad white stripe; throat white; neck brown; back and tail gray; wings gray, broadly edged with black; breast and belly streaked with black and white.
Immature.— Top of head dusky; back browner.
Nest, in trees.
Eggs, bluish-green.
The Great Blue Heron used to breed throughout New England, but it is now doubtful if there are any of its heronries left in southern New England. It is still a summer resident of the wilder portions of northern New York and New England, and a not uncommon migrant in April and May, and from the end of July till November. It is found at the edges of lakes and ponds, or on the broader reaches of rivers, and still more frequently in the salt marshes and on the sandy or rocky ocean beaches. When the bird is standing, its long legs and neck are very conspicuous, and its body seems ridiculously thin. It is ordinarily silent on migration, only occasionally uttering a hoarse quak; in summer two birds sometimes quarrel, uttering loud, harsh squawks.
It is always an extremely watchful bird, and long before an observer approaches near it rises and flaps slowly off. After it gets under way, it shortens its long neck so that there is a perceptible tuck in it, and stretches out its legs behind. It now settles into a flight which, though apparently heavy, takes the bird along with great ease and speed; the strokes are often alternated with periods of sailing. It frequently settles in the top of some tree at a safe distance. Its wing-spread is as great as a Fish Hawk’s [Osprey], but not so great as an eagle’s. The under sides of the wings have a distinct blue shade, but as a rule the wings look gray, with black borders and tips.
Hoffmann – A Guide to the Birds of New England and Eastern New York (1904)