In Oregon, seven of the seventeen species of herons that frequent North America have been seen. There are four more that are uncommon or unintentional. This guide will teach you about and identify these long-legged birds.
Herons, which can be found in saltwater, freshwater, and even peering into your backyard pond for a quick snack, are water-loving birds.
However, certain of your fish herons are protected, so if you’re having trouble finding them, a net is your best option.
Herons prefer to hunt alone, either by standing motionless and waiting for the prey or by darting about to stir it up. Heronries, which are huge colonies of herons, are common nesting sites.
A group of herons is known by a variety of names, including “rookery,” “battery,” “hedge,” “siege,” and “pose” for example.
You might learn more about the ducks, swans, or pelicans you may see in Oregon if you like seeing waterbirds.
11 Species Of Heron In Oregon
1. Great Blue Heron
In Oregon, Great Blue Herons may be seen all year, and they are particularly common. They were found in 13% of summer and 15% of winter checklists submitted by birdwatchers for the state.
The Great Blue Heron is North America’s biggest heron, and it is a huge, majestic bird.
They feature a white head with a black plume that runs from in front of their eyes to the back of their heads. Their bills are orangish yellow in color.
Grayish-blue bodies and long gray legs distinguish them from other species. They have long gray necks 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 American states are home to Great Blue Herons all year, although they migrate south as they breed in the Mid-West and Canada.
In Florida, the Great White Heron is a subspecies of the Great Blue Heron that is white.
Great Blue Herons may be found in a variety of wetland habitats. Fresh and saltwater marshes, mangrove swamps, flooded marshes, lake shores, and shorelines are all possible habitats for them.
Fish, frogs, salamanders, shrimps, crabs, dragonflies, grasshoppers, and other aquatic insects make up the main diet of Great Blue Herons.
When wading or standing in water, they capture their prey. Hovering over water, diving into the water, leaping feet-first from perches, and floating on the surface are other options.
Great Blue Heron colonies can be found high up in trees near bodies of water. Twigs and sticks are used to construct the nests, which are lined with softer material.
Because Great Blue Herons reuse their nests, they can grow them in size by repairing and adding to them over time.
After that, the female deposits two to seven eggs. For nearly four weeks, both parents incubate the eggs.
Fun Fact: With their heads thrown back, Great Blue Herons defend their feeding grounds with magnificent wing-outstretched displays.
2. Great Egret
Throughout the year, Great Egrets may be seen around Oregon’s shore, but during breeding season, they may be seen throughout the state. Summer checklists have them at 4%, whereas winter checklists have them at 6%.
Males have neon green face skin and long, wispy feathers (aigrettes) protruding from their backs to their tails during breeding season, and Great Egrets are at their most gorgeous.
They’re often referred to as Great White Herons because they’re huge, all-white herons. Common egrets are a term used to describe them. These huge birds feature dagger-like beaks, long black legs and feet, and are white in color.
Males, femas, and juveniles of non-breeding age all appear similar.
- Ardea alba
- Length: 37 – 41 in (94 – 104cm)
- Weight: 59.96 oz (1699 g)
- Wingspan: 54 – 55 in (137 – 140 cm)
The Great Egret is a bird that can be found all around the globe. Those in the southern and coastal US states stay throughout the year, but those in Canada go south as the seasons change.
Great Egrets may be found in both freshwater and saltwater marshes, as well as fish ponds.
Fish, frogs, tiny mammals, crustaceans, and insects make up the majority of Great Egret’s diet. Great Egrets, which stand motionless on the water, waiting and scouting for their prey before striking and spearing it with their long bills, are a common sight.
In colonies, Great Egret nests may be found. To protect the nests from predators like raccoons, they are usually placed high up in trees, preferably on islands.
Sticks, twigs, and marsh plant stems have been used to create them. Both parents incubate the eggs for around twenty-five days, which they lay up to six.
Fun Fact: Due to its long white feathers (aigrettes), the Great Egret was practically hunted to extinction. They were mostly utilized to embellish women’s hats.
3. Green Heron
Western Oregon, particularly around Portland, Salem, Corvallis, and Eugene, is home to Green Herons. Summer checklists that contain them account for 2% of the total. During the year, however, some may be seen all around Portland.
The glossy green-black coloring of the crowns, crests, backs, and wings of green herons draws them to be named as such, but they appear hunched and dark from a distance. You have to get much closer to appreciate this.
These change color during the breeding season, becoming two-toned, with a dark top and a yellow bottom. Their iris and legs become orange as well, changing from yellow to orange.
Chestnut or maroon are the colors of their heads, necks, and breasts. The front portion of the neck is striped with a white stripe that runs down the middle. Gray is the color of their bellies.
Browner in color, with black caps and a crest, juveniles are.
- Butorides virescens
- Length: 18 – 22 in (46 – 56 cm)
- Weight: 9.17 oz (260 g)
- Wingspan: 25 – 26 in (64 – 66 cm)
Before heading south, Green Herons breed mostly in the eastern United States and the Pacific Coast. Those in the Gulf Coast, Caribbean, and Mexico, on the other hand, are permanent residents.
Green Herons may be found in swamps, marshes, lakes, ponds, and other watery environments with thick vegetation. They may stay in dry woods or orchards if there are water sources nearby, despite their preference for coastal and inland wetlands.
Green Herons may be found in damp environments with thick vegetation, such as bogs, marshes, lakes, and ponds. They may stay in dry woods or orchards if there are water sources nearby, although they prefer coastal and inland wetlands.
Little fish, insects, spiders, crustaceans, snails, amphibians, reptiles, and rodents make up the diet of Green Herons. Rather of wading, they normally hunt from the shore by perched on sticks over the water.
Green Heron nests are built high in the trees over water, although some may also lay them on the ground, hidden beneath vegetation.
Females lay two-day intervals of six eggs. The final egg is deposited, and the parents start incubating for around twenty days. When their eggs hatch, they give their offspring food.
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 use tools.
4. American Bittern
During the breeding season, from April to October, American Bitterns are seen in Oregon in 1% of summer checklists.
In the spring of the American Bittern, if you’re lucky, you’ll hear the strange watery boom calls long before you see them. Below you can see what they’re all about.
The Heron family includes the American Bitterns, which are hefty, medium-sized birds.
Because of their brown striped and mottled patterning, they resemble the reeds they conceal themselves in, as well as their ability to remain motionless amid the reeds with their head tilted up.
They have short legs and yellow eyes that turn orange during courting.
- Botaurus lentiginosus
- Length: 23 in (58 cm)
- Weight: 25.6 oz (726 g)
- Wingspan: 42 – 50 in (107 – 127 cm)
Before migrating to the Gulf Coast and Mexico, American Bitterns breed in Canada and northern US states.
Shallow freshwater marshes and wetlands with tall reeds are almost always home to American Bitterns.
Shallow, freshwater marshes and wetlands with tall reeds are virtually guaranteed to have American Bitterns.
To locate them, focus your eyes on the lakes’ and ponds’ edges amid the rough vegetation.
Fish, crustaceans, insects, amphibians, and small mammals are all part of the American Bitterns’ diet. They stealthily probe the reeds, remaining motionless and quiet while they wait for their victim to approach, before dashing forward quickly to capture them in their beaks.
The watery nests of American Bitterns are hidden among coarse vegetation and may be discovered. With available reeds, sedges, cattails, and other vegetation, females choose a nest location and construct it themselves.
They lay seven eggs that are incubated for around twenty-six days. The females feed the newborns via regurgitation straight into their beaks when they are hatched. They leave the nest two weeks after being born, and it takes six to seven weeks for them to be fully fledged.
Fun Fact: Just like the reeds that conceal them, American Bitterns point upwards and sway gently from side to side.
5. Black-crowned Night-Heron
In southern Oregon, black-crowned night-herons breed, but only a few are seen throughout the year.
The typical description of the heron family does not apply to Black-crowned Night-Herons, or simply Night Herons. The bill, neck, and legs are all shorter than those of a normal bird.
The typical description of the heron family does not apply to black-crowned Night-Herons, or simply Night Herons. It features a shorter beak, neck, and legs than other storks.
Black caps cover the black-crowned night-herons’ bills, which are set against a white line.
The lores (area in front of the eye, towards the beak) are green-blue, and their eyes are red. The underneath is pale, whereas the rear is dark. Yellow is the color of their legs and feet.
The black on the head and back becomes a glossy blue-green during the breeding season, with two or three white feathers appearing on the crown. The legs and feet turn crimson or pink, and the lores become black as well.
Adults are a drab grayish-brown with streaks and spots on their bodies.
- 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 Night-herons spans the globe. Before migrating south, they breed in the United States and Canada. Along the coasts, some may be found all year.
Black-crowned Night-herons may be found in freshwater or brackish rivers, for example, in marshy environments. Artificial habitats like reservoirs, canals, and fish ponds are also examples of how they’re used.
Black-crowned Night-herons are night feeders that eat crayfish and fish, as well as turtles and worms, when they can find them.
The males build nests for Black-crowned Night-herons in bushes or trees in preparation for selecting their mates.
After that, the female will deposit up to seven eggs every two days. Over the next twenty-four days, both parents begin to incubate the eggs right away. Over the course of approximately three weeks, the parents will care for their children.
Fun Fact: For more than a century, the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., has hosted a colony of Black-crowned Night-herons during their summers.
6. Snowy Egret
During migration, several snowy egrets may be seen in southeastern Oregon, particularly around Harney.
Little all-white herons called Snowy Egrets, as the name suggests. They have bright yellow feet and irises with a yellow skin around the eye. They have a long, black beak and lengthy, black legs.
Long, lacy feathers grow on their heads, necks, and backs throughout the breeding season. During courtship, their lores or facial skin become reddish-pink, and their toes become orange-red.
Surprisingly, during violent encounters, these spots on their bodies light up to a brilliant red color.
Adults have head plumes, however juveniles don’t. Lores and legs are more greenish-yellow, and their bills and legs are also lighter in color.
- 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 the southwest coast, snowy egrets migrate across most of the United States. In Central, South, and North America, they are found throughout the year.
Snowy Egrets may be found in marshes, riverbanks, lakesides, pools, salt marshes, and estuaries throughout shallow, wetland environments. Swamp woods with protective trees and plants are preferred for nesting.
Fish, crustaceans, snails, frogs, and crayfish are all hunted by snowy egrets in shallow water. They may rest quietly and wait for prey to approach them, or they may stir the water to make capturing their prey easier.
Males select the locations for Snowy Egret nests. They choose a spot and put on a full show for their potential mates. The males continue to give sticks, sedges, or reeds to the females while they build the nest.
Nest sites are generally found in trees or shrubs on the ground, and they’re often disguised. Both parents incubate their eggs alternately after the female lays two to six eggs. The incubation period is normally twenty-four days.
Fun Fact: Because of their exquisite white head feathers, snowy egrets have been nearly hunted to extinction. They are a must-have item for ladies’ hats.
7. Cattle Egret
During the breeding season, Cattle Egrets may be seen in Oregon’s Harney area, and a few overwinter in Tillamook.
Cattle Egrets use a clever method of capturing their prey…they stand on the backs of cattle, catching the disturbed prey as the cattle move and disturb the earth.
Cattle Egrets have white bodies and faint orange-brown patches on their heads, necks, and backs. These little, short-necked egrets are small.
Their irises and cheeks are yellow in color. They have greenish-black legs and small yellow bills. Males and femen look very similar.
Cattle Egrets, especially on their legs and face during breeding season, 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 turn bright red, and their facial skin (lores) turns 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 over the globe, but those in North America spend the year in Mexico’s Gulf Coast and southwestern US states.
Those that breed farther north, generally in the eastern United States, migrate south after breeding.
Cattle Egrets may be seen in native grasslands, pasture land, agricultural land, and rice land, particularly where there are hoofed animals.
They do venture into the edges of aquatic environments, such as riverbanks, ponds, and shallow marshes, despite their preference for staying on land and atop cattle. Golf courses, lawns, sporting fields, dumps, and parks are also places where they may be seen.
Insects, particularly grasshoppers, crickets, flies, beetles, and moths are the exclusive foods of Cattle Egrets. Spiders, frogs, tiny snakes, lizards, earthworms, and fish are among the insects they consume.
Cattle Egret nests are usually constructed in woodlands near lakes or rivers, in marshes, or on tiny islands. They are created of sticks and reeds and are made in colonies.
The female lays up to nine eggs, which take roughly twenty-five days to hatch. The young develop, fledge, and become completely independent from their parents in around 45 days.
Fun Fact: Rather than correcting for light refraction when feeding in water, the Cattle Egret’s eyes have evolved to forage on land with binocular vision.
8. Little Blue Heron
In Oregon, little blue herons are an uncommon sight and are classified as a unintentional species. In 2012, they were last seen near Harney.
Little Blue Herons aren’t always that tiny. With lengthy, stretched bodies, they range in size from medium to huge. With dangling feathers across the nape, their heads and necks have a purplish hue.
Little Blue Herons are not as small as they seem. They have bodies that are long and stretched out, ranging from medium to huge. With dangling feathers across the nape, their heads and necks have a purplish hue.
During the breeding season, their eyes become light yellow and may turn green. Their two-toned bills are long and dagger-like, with black tips. They have a pale blue or grayish color. Slate-blue is the color of their skin. They have long, black to gray-green legs.
- Egretta caerulea
- Length: 24 – 29 in (61 – 74 cm)
- Weight: 16.22 oz (460 g)
- Wingspan: 40 – 41 in (102 – 104 cm)
Before heading south, Little Blue Herons breed in the eastern United States, but their counterparts in the Gulf Coast and Mexico stay throughout the year.
Little Blue Herons may be seen around bodies of water, such as bogs, marshes, ponds, streams, lagoons, tidal flats, canals, ditches, and fish hatcheries.
Little Blue Herons may be found near water, such as in bogs, marshes, ponds, streams, lagoons, tidal flats, canals, ditches, fish hatcheries, and flooded fields.
As compared to other herons, Little Blue Herons stalk 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, crustaceans, mice, and insects make up the Little Blue Heron’s diet. Adults prefer to forage on their own, whereas juveniles prefer to mix with others.
Little Blue Heron nests are made of sticks and are commonly found in groups with other herons. Up to six eggs are deposited by the female. For up to twenty-four days, both parents share in the incubation process.
Fun Fact: Juvenile Little Blue Herons have white feathers that allow them to capture more fish and provide additional protection from predators, allowing them to blend in with Snowy Egrets.
9. Least Bittern
In Oregon, the Least Bittern is an accidental species. They were most recently spotted near Shoalwater Bay in 2007, and they are exceedingly rare in the state.
In the reeds, you may hear Least Bitterns, the smallest herons in North America. They’re difficult to spot since they’re so small.
Their yellow beak is dark, with brown and white hues. They grip the reeds with their long toes and claws.
- Ixobrychus exilis
- Length: 11 – 14 in (28 – 36 cm)
- Weight: 3 oz (85 g)
- Wingspan: 16 – 18 in (41 – 46 cm)
Little Bitterns’ usual range is Europe and Africa, but they occasionally stray into North America.
The Bitterns of Little Bitterns range is Europe and Africa, with a few exceptions.
Least Bitterns may be found in vegetative thickets with numerous tall cattails and reeds in both freshwater and brackish marshes. When they perch on reeds, look for them.
They’ll immediately freeze, raise their bills to the sky, and sway in rhythm with the reeds whenever they sense danger.
Little fish, frogs, tadpoles, salamanders, slugs, dragonflies, aquatic bugs, and occasionally mice are among the foods of the Least Bittern. They squat on the reeds, doing acrobatic contortions in order to reach their prey, which is placed on the surface of the water.
Fun Fact: Long necks are characteristic of Least Bitterns, who tend to stay in a hunchbacked posture.
10. Tricolored Heron
In Oregon, tricolored herons are an unauthorized species, and they have not been seen here in a long time, according to records.
The white belly and neck stripe of a Tricolored Heron distinguishes it from other herons.
Adults that are not breeding have a mix of blue-gray, purple, and white feathers. Yellowish or greyish in color, with a black tip, their bills are yellowish or greyish. Yellow and olive green are the colors of their legs and feet.
The back of the head of breeding adults is likewise covered in thin, white feathers, and the underlying of the beak turns blue. In addition, their necks and backs have thinner feathers. Their legs darken to a reddish color as well.
Particularly around the neck, upper breasts, upper back, and wings, juveniles are redder-brown.
- Egretta tricolor
- Length: 24 – 26 in (61 – 66 cm)
- Weight: 14.6 oz (414 g)
- Wingspan: 36 in (91 cm)
Along the Gulf Coast, Mexico, and northern South America all year, tricolored Herons remain. Those who breed farther north along the Atlantic Coast migrate south.
Tricolored Herons are watchful of their feeding sites and feed alone. Other wading birds that feed on their area and enjoy tiny fish, frogs, crustaceans, and insects will be chased away by them.
They’ll be stalking, chasing, standing, and waiting for their victim to appear. Before striking, they squat low in the water with their bellies pressed against the surface and their necks drawn in.
Tricolored Heron nests are constructed from sticks and placed in trees and shrubs in colonies. The female lays three to five eggs, and the parents spend three weeks incubating them before they hatch. The male and female both participate in the process. In addition, both of them breastfeed their infants.
Fun Fact: The only dark-colored heron with a white belly, the Tricolored Heron was formerly known as the Louisiana Heron.
11. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
The Oregon Bird Records Committee has accepted yellow-crowned night-herons, which are exceedingly uncommon birds in the state, into their review list with a few recorded sightings.
The crowns of adult Yellow-crowned Night Herons are yellow, with two plumes extending from the head. Their black-and-white bills stand out. Their remainder of the skulls are black, with little white patches on the sides below their eyes.
As they grew up, their eyes turned from yellow to orange to red.
Their wings have a scaled pattern and their bodies are gray-blue. During the breeding season, their legs extend to be several feet long and yellow, turning coral pink or red.
Grayish-brown with white streaks and spots, juveniles begin life that way. It takes three years for them to reach adulthood.
- Nyctanassa violacea
- Length: 22 – 28 in (56 – 71 cm)
- Weight: 25.6 oz ( 726 g)
- Wingspan: 42 0 44 in (107 – 112 cm)
Before flying south, yellow-crowned night-herons breed mostly in the southern United States. Throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, and northern South America, they are present all year.
In coastal places with a lot of crustaceans, shallow water, and big edges on which to feed, you may see Yellow-crowned Night-herons at daybreak and dusk.
Crustaceans like crabs and crayfish make up the majority of Yellow-crowned Night-herons’ diets. Fish, insects, worms, mollusks, lizards, snakes, rats, and birds are among the animals they consume. They can devour tiny creatures in an instant.
Crabs are often cut open and/or dismembered.
Yellow-crowned Night-herons often create little, loose colonies, but they always construct nests near water. Both parents construct the nests from soft sticks and twigs gathered from grass, leaves, or moss.
They then incubate the eggs together for three weeks after which they lay up to eight. The chicks are fed by regurgitation after they hatch. They fledge after around a month, and at the age of fifty, they can fly on their own.
Fun Fact: The eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) virus, which can kill horses and humans, is carried by the Yellow-crowned Night-heron.
How Frequently Herons Are Spotted In Oregon In Summer And Winter
Checklists are a fantastic way to discover which birds are frequently seen in your region. In the summer and winter of Oregon, these lists show which herons are most often seen on ebird checklists.
Herons in Oregon in summer:
Great Blue Heron 13.2%
Great Egret 4.6%
Green Heron 2.1%
American Bittern 1.4%
Black-crowned Night-Heron 0.9%
Snowy Egret 0.2%
Cattle Egret <0.1%
Least Bittern <0.1%
Little Blue Heron <0.1%
Tricolored Heron <0.1%
Herons in Oregon in winter:
Great Blue Heron 15.3%
Great Egret 5.9%
Black-crowned Night-Heron 0.6%
Green Heron 0.4%
American Bittern 0.1%
Snowy Egret <0.1%
Cattle Egret <0.1%
Little Blue Heron <0.1%