West Virginia has been home to 10 of the 17 Heron species that are native to North America. There’s also a 1 that’s uncommon or unintentional. This guide will assist you in identifying and understanding these long-legged birds.
Water-loving birds such as herons can be found near any kind of water, from saltwater to freshwater to even pondering in your backyard.
Nevertheless, since many of your fish herons are protected, a net is the most effective way to catch them if you want.
Herons often build huge colonies known as heronries, but they prefer to hunt on their own by remaining absolutely still and allowing or by dashing about to attract prey.
A collection of herons may be referred to as a “rookery,” a “battery,” a “hedge,” a “siege,” or even as a combination of these!
You should learn more about the ducks, swans, or pelicans that you may see here if you adore seeing waterbirds in West Virginia.
11 Species Of Heron In West Virginia
1. Great Blue Heron
During the breeding season and during migration, Great Blue Herons are most frequently seen in West Virginia.
The biggest heron native to North America, Great Blue Herons are huge, majestic birds.
Their face is white, with a black crown or plume that extends from the front of their eyes to the rear of their heads. Their bills are orange-yellow in color.
They have grayish-blue bodies and long gray legs, with a long gray neck with black and white streaking in the front.
- Ardea herodias
- Length: 46 – 52 in (117 – 132 cm)
- Weight: 128 oz (3628 g)
- Wingspan: 77 – 82 in (196 – 208 cm)
Most US states are home to Great Blue Herons all year, but they migrate south during the breeding season.
In Florida, the Great White Heron is a white morph variant of the Great Blue Heron.
Great Blue Herons may be found in a variety of wetland habitats. Fresh and saltwater marshes, mangrove swamps, flooded marshes, lake borders, and coastal areas are all possible habitats for them.
Fish, frogs, salamanders, shrimps, crabs, dragonflies, grasshoppers, and other aquatic insects make up the majority of Great Blue Herons’ diet.
While wading or standing in water, they catch their prey. Hovering above water, diving into it, leaping feetfirst from perches, and floating on its surface are other possibilities.
Great Blue Heron colonies may be found high in trees near to water, with nests. Twigs and sticks are used to make the nests, which are lined with softer material.
Great Blue Herons may rebuild and expand their nests over time, thanks to the fact that they reuse their nests.
After that, the female deposits two to seven eggs. Over the course of four weeks, both parents alternate incubating the eggs.
Fun Fact: With their heads thrown back and wings outstretched, Great Blue Herons defend their feeding grounds with spectacular displays.
2. Green Heron
During the breeding season, West Virginia is home to Green Herons, who appear on 6% of summer checklists. They migrate in October after arriving in April.
The glossy green-black sheen of the crowns, crests, backs, and wings of green herons attract their name; however, from a distance they appear bent and dark.
During the breeding season, their bills turn black and are two-toned: dark on top and yellow at the bottom. Their irises and legs, like their eyes, turn orange.
Chestnut or maroon are the colors of their heads, necks, and breasts. The top of their neck is striped with white running down the length. Gray is the color of their bellies.
Adults have blacker heads and a higher crest, but juveniles are browner.
- Butorides virescens
- Length: 18 – 22 in (46 – 56 cm)
- Weight: 9.17 oz (260 g)
- Wingspan: 25 – 26 in (64 – 66 cm)
Before migrating south, Green Herons breed mostly in the eastern US and the Pacific Coast. Those, however, are only in place for the summer on the Gulf Coast, the Caribbean, and Mexico.
Green Herons may be found in damp environments with thick vegetation, such as marshes, swamps, lakes, and ponds. These may stay in dry woods or orchards if there are water sources nearby, despite their preferences for coastal and inland wetlands.
Little fish, insects, spiders, crustaceans, snails, amphibians, reptiles, and rodents make up the Green Heron’s diet. Rather of wading, they hunt from the shore by perched on sticks over the water.
Green Heron nests are built in the trees over water, although some may also be placed on the ground, disguised beneath shrubbery.
Females lay two to six eggs at 2-day intervals. Both parents begin incubation after the final egg has been deposited, which takes around twenty days. When their eggs hatch, they both feed their young.
Fun Facts: Bait, such as bread, feathers, twigs, and leaves, are used by Green Herons to catch their prey, making them one of the few bird species that do so. (Davis and Kushlan, 1994)
3. Great Egret
In West Virginia, Great Egrets may be seen during the breeding season, however they are most common between May to July to October.
Male Great Egrets have bright green facial skin and lengthy, wispy feathers (aigrettes) that extend from their backs to their tails, which they display during courting, much as a peacock displays out its tail. The best time for seeing Great Egrets is throughout the breeding season.
They’re often referred to as Great White Herons because they’re huge, all-white herons. Common egrets are another name for these birds. The huge birds have long, black legs and feet, as well as dagger-like, long bills.
Males, women, and juveniles appear similar throughout the breeding season.
- Ardea alba
- Length: 37 – 41 in (94 – 104cm)
- Weight: 59.96 oz (1699 g)
- Wingspan: 54 – 55 in (137 – 140 cm)
The global range of Great Egrets is enormous. Those in the southern and coastal United States stay here year-round, while those farther inland move south during the winter.
Great Egrets may be found in marshes, tidal flats, and fish ponds, as well as freshwater and saltwater.
Fish, frogs, tiny mammals, crustaceans, and insects make up the majority of the diet of Great Egrets. You’ll observe Great Egrets waiting and scouting for their victim on the water, then striking and spear it with their lengthy bills, all while remaining motionless.
In colonies, Great Egret nests can be found. To keep the nests safe from predators like raccoons, they are often placed high up in trees, preferably on islands.
Sticks, twigs, and marsh plant stems are used to make them. Females lay six eggs, which are incubated for approximately twenty-five days by both parents.
Fun Fact: Because of their long white feathers (aigrettes), the Great Egret was practically hunted to extinction.
4. Little Blue Heron
In West Virginia, little blue herons are only encountered during April and mid-September, however they have been seen.
The Little Blue Herons are actually quite small. Their bodies are long and stretched, ranging from medium to large. With dangling feathers across the nape, their heads and necks have a purplish hue.
During the breeding season, their eyes turn gray-green, which is a pale yellow color. Their two-toned bills, which are pale blue or grayish with black tips, are long and dagger-like. Slate-blue is the color of their flesh. They have long, black to gray-green legs.
Before becoming a combination of dark gray, blue, and white, juvenile Little Blue Herons are completely white during their first year.
- Egretta caerulea
- Length: 24 – 29 in (61 – 74 cm)
- Weight: 16.22 oz (460 g)
- Wingspan: 40 – 41 in (102 – 104 cm)
Eastern US states are home to Little Blue Herons, which migrate south before breeding in the winter, while those in the Gulf Coast and Mexico remain year-round.
Little Blue Herons may be seen around water, such as in bogs, marshes, ponds, streams, lagoons, tidal flats, canals, ditches, and fish hatcheries.
In comparison to other herons, Little Blue Herons forage in a more elegant manner. They simply stand and wait in shallow waters for their prey, rather than dashing about across the water.
Fish, frogs, snakes, turtles, spiders, crabs, mice, and insects make up the Little Blue Heron’s diet. Juveniles prefer to remain in mixed groups, whereas adults tend to forage alone.
Little Blue Heron nests are made of sticks and are often found in groups with other herons. Up to six eggs are laid by the female. For up to twenty-four days, both parents share in the incubation.
Fun Fact: Juvenile Little Blue Herons are present among Snowy Egrets because of their white coloring, which allows them to catch additional fish and stay safer against predators.
5. American Bittern
In West Virginia, American Bitterns are uncommon, however they may be seen flying north of the state.
In the spring of the American Bittern, you might hear strange watery boom calls long before you see them if you’re lucky. Below are some photos from the event.
The Heron family includes the American Bitterns, which are robust, medium-sized birds.
Because of their brown striped and mottled patterning and the capability to remain motionless among the reeds with their head angled up, they resemble the reeds they hide in.
They have short legs and yellow eyes that turn orange during courtship.
- Botaurus lentiginosus
- Length: 23 in (58 cm)
- Weight: 25.6 oz (726 g)
- Wingspan: 42 – 50 in (107 – 127 cm)
Before heading to the Gulf Coast and Mexico, American Bitterns breed in Canada and northern US states.
Shallow, freshwater marshes and wetlands with tall reeds are home to American Bitterns practically exclusively.
To locate them, keep your eyes trained on the lakes and ponds’ margins amid the rough grass.
Fish, crustaceans, insects, amphibians, and small mammals make up the diet of American Bitterns. They wait quietly and motionlessly in the reeds, waiting for their victim to get closer before leaping out quickly to capture them in their beaks.
Watery nests of American Bitterns may be found among coarse vegetation, undetected. With available reeds, sedges, cattails, and other vegetation, females select the nest site and construct it themselves.
They lay up to seven eggs, which are kept for around twenty-six days before being incubated. The females feed the chicks straight into their beaks when they are born. They leave the nest after two weeks and are fully developed in six to seven weeks.
Fun Fact: Like the reeds that conceal them, American Bitterns point upwards and sway gently from side to side.
6. Black-crowned Night-Heron
In West Virginia, you may see a few black-crowned night-herons on rare occasions.
The typical description of the heron family does not apply to Black-crowned Night-Herons, or simply Night Herons. It has a shorter bill, neck, and legs than other waders.
Black caps cover the black-crowned night-herons’ bills, which are tipped with a white line.
The lores (in front of the eye, towards the beak) are green-blue, and their eyes are red. They have a darker back than the rest of their bodies. Yellow is the color of their legs and feet.
The crown gets two or three white feathers during the breeding season, and the black coloring on the head and back changes to a glossy blue-green. The legs and feet become red or pink, while the lores turn black as well.
The overall color of juveniles is a drab grayish-brown with streaking and spotting.
The overall color of juveniles is a dull grayish-brown with streaking and spotting.
- Nycticorax nycticorax
- Length: 25 – 28 in (64 – 71 cm)
- Weight: 38.8 oz (1100 g)
- Wingspan: 44 – 45 in (112 – 114 cm)
The range of black-crowned nightherons extends across the globe. Before migrating south, they breed in the United States and Canada. They may be seen all year along the shore.
In dampland environments such as shallow freshwater or brackish rivers, you may see Black-crowned Night-herons. Artificial habitats like reservoirs, canals, and fish ponds are also used to raise them.
Night-feeders like black-crowned night herons, which include crayfish, fish, and even turtles or worms in their diets.
The males create nests for Black-crowned Night-herons in bushes or trees in preparation for selecting their partners.
The female will lay up to seven eggs every two days, in 2-day intervals. After they are deposited, both parents begin to incubate the eggs for around twenty-four days. For about three weeks, the parents will take care of the child.
Fun Fact: For more than a century, the National Zoo in Washington, DC has housed a colony of Black-headed Night-herons during the summer.
7. Least Bittern
During the summer, West Virginia has been home to Least Bitterns, albeit they are rare.
In the reeds, you may hear Least Bitterns first, since they are the smallest herons in the Americas.
With a black cap and top to their yellow beak, they are brown and white hues. The reeds are gripped with their long toes and claws.
Females and juveniles have lighter backs and crowns than males do.
- Ixobrychus exilis
- Length: 11 – 14 in (28 – 36 cm)
- Weight: 3 oz (85 g)
- Wingspan: 16 – 18 in (41 – 46 cm)
The European and African territory of Little Bitterns is their normal range, however they may also be found in North America.
Least Bitterns may be located in rich wetlands with many tall cattails and reeds, as well as in brackish marshlands. Look for them perched on reeds.
They will abruptly freeze up, raise their bills to the sky, and sway in sync with the reeds when they sense danger.
Little fish, frogs, tadpoles, salamanders, slugs, dragonflies, aquatic bugs, and occasionally mice make up the diet of Least Bitterns. They situate themselves on the reeds, twisting and leaping into the air to reach their prey, which is sometimes only inches away.
The female of the Least Bitterns makes well-concealed platforms out of cattail and marsh vegetation for her nests. Both parents incubate the eggs for around twenty days after she lays seven of them. They then regurgitate food to feed newly-hatched chicks.
Fun Fact: The necks of Least Bitterns are long, but the birds remain in a hunchbacked stance.
8. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
During migration in West Virginia, yellow-crowned night-herons may be seen.
Yellow crowns with two plumes protruding from their heads characterize adult Yellow-crowned Night Herons. They have enormous black bills. Their remaining skulls are black, with a little white patch on the sides below their eyes.
As they grew up, their eyes became red and changed from yellow to orange to red.
Their wings have a scaled pattern and they are gray-blue in color. During the breeding season, their legs grow longer and turn coral, pink, or red.
Grayish-brown juveniles have white streaks and spots all over their bodies. It takes three years for them to reach maturity.
- Nyctanassa violacea
- Length: 22 – 28 in (56 – 71 cm)
- Weight: 25.6 oz ( 726 g)
- Wingspan: 42 0 44 in (107 – 112 cm)
Before migrating south, yellow-crowned night-herons breed primarily in the southeastern United States. Throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, and northern South America, they stay all year.
In coastal regions with a abundance of crustaceans, shallow waters, and solid borders where to feed, you may see Yellow-crowned Night-herons at dawn and dusk.
Crustaceans like crabs and crayfish make up the majority of the Yellow-crowned Night-heron’s diet. Fish, insects, worms, mollusks, lizards, snakes, rats, and birds are among the animals they consume. Little prey can be devoured right away by them.
Crabs are frequently dismembered and stabbed in the body.
Little, loose colonies of Yellow-crowned Night-herons are common, but they always build nests beside water. Both parents make nests out of soft sticks and twigs, which are gathered from grass, leaves, or moss.
After that, she deposits up to eight eggs and spends about three weeks incubating them together. Chicks are fed by regurgitation when they hatch. They fledge after about a month, and by the age of fifty days, they can fly on their own.
Fun Fact: The eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) virus, which is deadly to horses and people, can be carried by yellow-crowned night-herons.
9. Cattle Egret
In West Virginia, Cattle Egrets are only occasionally seen flying across the state on their way to Canada.
Cattle Egrets cleverly catch their meal by standing on the backs of cattle, which shifts and displaces the earth.
Cattle Egrets have white bodies with pale orange-brown patches on their heads, necks, and backs. They are tiny, short-necked egrets.
Their irises and cheeks are yellow in color. Its bills are small, and their legs are greenish-black. Males and females have a similar appearance.
During the breeding season, cattle egrets turn brighter, especially on their legs and face, and change color throughout the year.
Their light orange patches darken during the breeding season. At the height of their courting, their bills, legs, and irises become bright red, and facial skin (lores) becomes pinkish-red.
- Bubulcus ibis
- Length: 19 – 21 in (48 – 53 cm)
- Weight: 17.98 oz (510 g)
- Wingspan: 36 – 38 in (91 – 97 cm)
Cattle Egrets may be found all year in the south of Mexico, the Gulf Coast, and southwestern US states, but they have a huge range throughout the world.
Breeders, on the other hand, migrate south after breeding and are mostly found in eastern US states.
Cattle Egrets may be found in native grasslands, meadows, agricultural fields, and rice fields wherever hoofed animals are present.
They do venture into the edges of aquatic environments, such as riverbanks, ponds, and shallow marshes, despite their preference for staying on land and on top of cattle. Golf courses, lawns, athletic fields, dumpsters, and parks are also places where they may be seen.
Insects, mostly grasshoppers, crickets, flies, beetles, and moths make up the diet of Cattle Egrets. Spiders, frogs, small snakes, lizards, earthworms, and fish are among the other animals they eat.
Cattle Egret nests are usually created in woodlands around lakes or rivers, in marshes, or on tiny islands. They’re made out of sticks and reeds.
The female lays up to nine eggs, which take twenty-five days to hatch. The young take approximately 45 days to fledge and become autonomous from their parents.
Fun Fact: Rather than correcting for light refraction when feeding in water, the Cattle Egret’s eyes have evolved to allow it to forage on land by having binocular vision.
10. Snowy Egret
During the summer, you may observe a few snowy egrets in West Virginia.
Little, all-white herons known as snowy egrets. They have bright yellow feet and irises with a skin around them. They have long, black bills and long, black legs.
Long, lacy feathers grow on their heads, necks, and backs throughout the breeding season. During courting, their lores or face skin become reddish-pink, and their toes become orange-red.
Surprisingly, during aggressive encounters, these parts of their bodies become bright red.
Adults have head plumes, whereas juveniles do not. Their lores and legs are more greenish-yellow, and the colors on their bills and legs are also lighter.
- Egretta thula
- Length: 22 – 27 in (56 -69 cm)
- Weight: 16.75 oz (475 g)
- Wingspan: 39.4 in (100 cm)
Except for the Gulf Coast and southwest coasts, snowy egrets migrate across most of the United States. Throughout the year, they can be found in Mexico, Central America, and South America.
Snowy Egrets may be found near marshes, riverbanks, lakesides, pools, salt marshes, and estuaries in shallow dampland habitats. They prefer marshlands with protective trees and vegetation for nesting.
Fish, crustaceans, snails, frogs, and crayfish are among the foods sought by snowy egrets in shallow water. They may remain still while waiting for prey to arrive or by stirring the water so that their prey is more visible to them when they catch it.
Males pick Snowy Egret nesting sites. They choose a place to attract their mates and go on full display. The males continue to offer sticks, sedges, or reeds while the females construct the nest when they pair up.
Nests are often placed in trees or low-lying shrubs. Both parents incubate their eggs at the same time, with two to six eggs being laid by the female. The incubation period is normally twenty-four days.
Fun Fact: Because of their lovely white head feathers, which were perfect for women’s hats, snowy egrets were almost hunted to extinction.
11. Tricolored Heron
In West Virginia, Tricolored Herons are an uncommon sight, and the state considers them an accidental species. Around Charles Town in 2021, they were last seen.
The white belly and neck stripe of a Tricolored Heron distinguishes it from other herons.
Adults that are non-breeding have blue-gray, purple, and white feathers in their plumage. Their bills have a black tip and are yellowish or greyish in color. Yellow or olive green are the colors of their legs and feet.
The rear of the head of breeding adults is likewise covered in thin, white feathers, and their beaks turn blue at the base. On their necks and back, they have more delicate feathers. They acquire a reddish tint to their legs as well.
The neck, upper breasts, upper back, and wings of juveniles are more reddish-brown.
- Egretta tricolor
- Length: 24 – 26 in (61 – 66 cm)
- Weight: 14.6 oz (414 g)
- Wingspan: 36 in (91 cm)
The Gulf Coast, Mexico, and northern South America are home to tricolored herons all year. Those that breed farther north migrate south along the Atlantic Coast.
In freshwater and brackish marshes, estuaries, and coastal tidal pools or swamps, you may see Tricolored Herons.
Tricolored Herons are devoted feeders who defend their feeding area from other birds. Wading birds that want to eat little fish, frogs, crustaceans, and insects will be chased away from their area by these birds.
Stalking, pursuing, standing, and waiting for their prey are all expected behaviors. Before striking, they crouch low in the water, with their bellies and necks drawn in, touching the surface.
Tricolored Heron nests are made of sticks and may be seen in trees and shrubs in colonies. The female lays three to five eggs, with both parents taking three weeks to hatch them, and the parents share in the incubation. They also provide food for the baby.
Fun Fact: The only dark-colored heron with a white belly, the Tricolored Heron was formerly known as the Louisiana Heron.
How Frequently Herons Are Spotted In West Virginia In Summer And Winter
The information in checklists can help you determine which birds are commonly seen in your state. On checklists throughout West Virginia during the summer and winter, these lists reveal which herons are most often documented.
Herons in West Virginia in summer:
Great Blue Heron 7.5%
Green Heron 6.8%
Great Egret 0.7%
Little Blue Heron 0.1%
Least Bittern 0.1%
American Bittern 0.1%
Black-crowned Night-Heron <0.1%
Cattle Egret <0.1%
Snowy Egret <0.1%
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron <0.1%
Tricolored Heron <0.1%
Herons in West Virginia in winter:
Great Blue Heron 7.9%
Great Egret <0.1%
Green Heron <0.1%
Black-crowned Night-Heron <0.1%
American Bittern <0.1%
Cattle Egret <0.1%