In Minnesota, ten of the 17 kinds of herons that live in North America have been seen. There is also a 1 that is uncommon or unintentional. This guide will aid you in identifying and understanding these long-legged birds.
Herons are water-loving birds that can be found in ponds, oceans, and even peering into your own backyard pond for a quick snack.
Nonetheless, since many of your fish herons are protected, a net is your best option if you’re having difficulties.
Herons are frequently found nesting in large colonies known as heronries, although they prefer to hunt on their own by remaining completely still and allowing the prey to come close.
A collection of herons is known by a variety of names, including “rookery,” “battery,” “hedge,” “siege,” and even the term “scattering” to describe them!
You might want to learn more about the ducks, swans, or pelicans you may see here if you enjoy seeing waterbirds in Minnesota.
11 Species Of Heron In Minnesota
1. Great Blue Heron
During the breeding season, Great Blue Herons are ubiquitous in Minnesota, and from April to September, they can be seen year-round. Summer checklists submitted by birdwatchers for the state include them in 16% of all checklists.
The biggest heron native to North America, Great Blue Herons, are quite big and stunning birds.
From the front of their eyes to the back of their heads, they have a white face with a black crest or plume. Their bills are bright orangish in hue.
Their bodies are grayish-blue, with long gray legs and 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 have Great Blue Herons that stay throughout the year, although those from the Midwestern and Canadian provinces migrate south.
In Florida, the Great White Heron is a white morph 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 edges, and shorelines 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’ diets.
While wading or standing in water, they capture their prey. Hovering over water, diving into it, leaping feet-first from perches, and floating on the water’s surface are among their other abilities.
Great Blue Heron colonies may be found in high up in trees near water, with nests. Twigs and sticks are lined with softer material to construct the nests.
Since Great Blue Herons reuse their nests, the nests can grow in size over time as they are repaired and expanded.
The female lays two to seven eggs after that. The eggs are incubated for approximately four weeks by both parents.
Fun Fact: With their heads thrown back, Great Blue Herons protect their feeding grounds with magnificent outstretched wing displays.
2. Great Egret
From March through October, Great Egrets may be found in 8% of summer checklists in western and southern Minnesota during the breeding season.
Males have neon green facial skin and long, wispy feathers (aigrettes) extending from their backs to their tails during the breeding season, when they are at their best.
They’re big, all-white herons, and are sometimes known as Great White Herons because of their size. Common egrets are another name for them. These huge birds feature dagger-like, long, brilliant yellow beaks, long black legs and feet. They are white in color.
Males, females, and juvenile birds all have the same appearance.
- Ardea alba
- Length: 37 – 41 in (94 – 104cm)
- Weight: 59.96 oz (1699 g)
- Wingspan: 54 – 55 in (137 – 140 cm)
The Great Egret’s worldwide range is huge. Those in the southern and coastal US regions stay there year-round, while those in Canada migrate to the south.
Great Egrets may be found in both freshwater and saltwater marshes, as well as fish ponds, but they prefer freshwater.
Fish, frogs, small mammals, crustaceans, and insects make up the majority of the diet of Great Egrets. Great Egrets stand stock-still on the water, waiting and Scouting their prey before striking and spearing it with their long bills.
Great Egret colonies may be found with nests. To keep predator species such as raccoons at bay, they are often positioned high up in trees, especially on islands.
Marsh plant sticks, twigs, and stems are used to make them. The females lay six eggs, which are incubated for around twenty-five days by both parents.
Fun Fact: Because of their long white feathers (aigrettes), the Great Egret was nearly hunted to extinction.
3. Green Heron
From April to October, Green Herons breed in Minnesota and are visible. Summer checklists include them in 6% of the time.
The glossy green-black color of the crowns, crests, backs, and wings of Green Herons attracts them the name “Glossy Green Heron,” but they appear hunchbacked and dark from a distance.
During the breeding season, their bills turn black, with two-toned dark on top and yellow at the bottom. Their irises and legs also change color, from yellow to orange.
Chestnut or maroon are the colors of their heads, necks, and breasts. The central stripe on the neck is white, running down the front length of the neck. Gray is the color of their bellies.
With dark caps and a crest, 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 primarily in the eastern US and Pacific Coast. The Gulf Coast, the Caribbean, and Mexico, on the other hand, have year-round residents.
Swamps, marshes, lakes, ponds, and other wet environments with dense vegetation are home to Green Herons. They may remain in dry woods or orchards if there are water sources nearby, despite their preference for coastal and inland wetlands.
Little fish, insects, spiders, crustaceans, snails, amphibians, reptiles, and rodents comprise the Green Herons’ diet. Instead of wading, they hunt from the shore by perched on sticks over the water.
Green Heron nests may be built on the ground, hidden beneath shrubs, or in the trees over water. They are constructed of long, thin twigs.
Females lay two eggs each day, at 2-day intervals. The final egg is deposited, and the parents begin incubating, which takes around twenty days. When their young are born, they both provide food for them.
Fun Facts: Bait, such as bread, feathers, twigs, and leaves, is used by green herons to catch their prey. This is one of the few bird species that does so. (Davis and Kushlan, 1994)
4. Black-crowned Night-Heron
The breeding season is spent in western Minnesota, and the winter is spent in the south by Black-crowned Night-Herons. From April to September, they can be found here.
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 storks.
Black caps cover the heads of adult Black-crowned Night-herons, which is separated from their black bills by a white line.
The lores (in front of the eye, towards the beak) are green-blue, and their eyes are red. The back is darker than the rest of their body. Yellow is the color of their legs and feet.
The black head and back become a glossy blue-green color during the breeding season, with two or three white feathers appearing on the crown. The legs and feet turn red or pink, and the lores turn black as well.
The whole body of juveniles is a dull grayish-brown with streaks and spots.
- Nycticorax nycticorax
- Length: 25 – 28 in (64 – 71 cm)
- Weight: 38.8 oz (1100 g)
- Wingspan: 44 – 45 in (112 – 114 cm)
The world range of Black-crowned Night-herons is enormous. Before migrating south, they breed in the United States and Canada. Along the beaches, some survive all year.
Wetland habitats such as shallow freshwater or brackish rivers are home to Black-crowned Night-herons. Artificial habitats such as reservoirs, canals, and fish ponds are also utilized for them.
Night-feeders like black-crowned night herons, which feed on crayfish, fish, and even turtles or worms.
Male Black-crowned Night-herons build nests in bushes and trees in preparation for selecting their mates, which are started by the males.
After that, the female will lay up to seven eggs at two-day intervals. Over the next twenty-four days, both parents begin to incubate the eggs after they are placed. For roughly three weeks, the parents will look after their infants.
Fun Fact: For more than a century, the National Zoo in Washington, DC has hosted a colony of Black-crowned Night-herons during the summer.
5. American Bittern
During the summer, from April through October, American Bitterns may be seen in Minnesota, although they are most frequent from May to mid-August.
The weird watery boom calls of the American Bittern may be heard much before you see them in the spring, if you’re lucky. Below you can see a few samples of them.
The Heron family includes American Bitterns, which are medium-sized solitary birds.
Because of their brown striped and mottled patterning, as well as their capacity to sit motionless amid the reeds with their head elevated, they resemble the reeds they hide in.
They have short legs and yellow eyes that change to orange during courting.
- 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 almost virtually always home to American Bitterns.
You can find them by training your eyes on the edges of lakes and ponds amid the rough vegetation.
Fish, crustaceans, insects, amphibians, and small mammals make up the diet of American Bitterns. They stealthily forage among the reeds, staying motionless and quiet while waiting for their prey to approach before sprinting forward and snatching them in their nets.
Watery nests of American Bitterns may be discovered amid rough vegetation, disguised among the water. Females select the nest location and construct it with locally available reeds, sedges, cattails, and other plants.
They produce seven eggs, which are incubated for around twenty-six days. The females feed the chicks straight into their beaks after they are hatched. They fled the nest after two weeks, and it takes between six and seven weeks for them to be completely independent.
Fun Fact: Unlike the reeds that conceal them, American Bitterns point upwards and sway gently from side to side.
6. Least Bittern
From May to September, least bitterns may be found in Minnesota, mainly in western and southern Minnesota.
In the reeds, you may hear the Least Bitterns, which are the tiniest herons in North America and are difficult to locate.
Their yellow beak is dark on top, and they are brown and white hues. The reeds are grasped with their claws and long toes.
Females and juveniles have lighter backs and crowns than males, but they are similar.
- Ixobrychus exilis
- Length: 11 – 14 in (28 – 36 cm)
- Weight: 3 oz (85 g)
- Wingspan: 16 – 18 in (41 – 46 cm)
The normal habitat of Little Bitterns is Europe and Africa, although they may enter North America on occasion.
Least Bitterns may be found in dense freshwater and brackish marshlands with a lot of tall cattails and reeds. When they perch on reeds, look for them.
They’ll stiffen up, raise their bills to the sky, and sway in rhythm with the reeds as soon as they detect danger.
Little fish, frogs, tadpoles, salamanders, slugs, dragonflies, aquatic bugs, and occasionally mice are among the foods of least bitterns. They arrange themselves on the reeds, sometimes risking their lives to reach their victim in the water’s surface.
The female of the Least Bitterns builds well-concealed platforms from cattails and marsh vegetation. Both parents incubate the eggs for around twenty days, which she lays up to seven. They then regurgitate feed to feed newly-hatched chicks.
Fun Fact: The neck of the Least Bittern is rather long, but it stays bent.
7. Snowy Egret
In Minnesota, snowy egrets are rare, however during migration and summer, they have been spotted in the southwest.
Little, all-white herons known as snowy egrets. Their irises are yellow, and their skin around the eye is long, black beaks are long, and their feet are bright yellow.
Snowy Egrets are little all-white herons, as their name suggests. Their irises are yellow, and their skin is long around the eye, with a sharp black beak and long black legs.
Long, lacy feathers grow on their heads, necks, and backs throughout the breeding season. During courtship, their lores or face skin become reddish-pink, and their toes become orange-red.
Interestingly, during violent encounters, these parts of their bodies become bright red.
- 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 US states. Throughout Mexico, Central, and South America, they can be found all year.
Snowy Egrets may be found in marshes, riverbanks, lakesides, pools, salt marshes, and estuaries in shallow wetland environments. They prefer swamp woods with protective trees and shrubs for nesting.
Fish, crustaceans, snails, frogs, and crayfish are all hunted by snowy egrets in shallow water. They might remain still and wait for prey to come to them, or they could stir the water so that their prey would be easier to catch.
Males choose the snowy egret nests they want to use. They choose a spot and put on a full show so that other males notice them. Males continue to offer sticks, sedges, or reeds while the female creates the nest when they join up.
Nests are often found on trees or shrubs on the ground, and they’re usually covered up. Both parents take turns incubating the eggs after the female lays two to six eggs. The average incubation period is twenty-four days.
Fun Fact: Because of their lovely white head feathers, which were a perfect embellishment or accessory to women’s hats, snowy egrets were almost hunted to extinction.
8. Cattle Egret
During migration in the south of the state, Cattle Egrets are seen, but they spend the breeding season in western Minnesota.
Cattle Egrets utilize a clever method of capturing their meal: they stand on the backs of cattle and get the scattered prey as the cattle move and rumble.
Cattle Egrets are white-bodied, pale orange-brown plastered birds with little, short-necked bodies.
Their eyes and cheeks are yellow, as is their skin. Their bills are small, and their legs are greenish-black. Males and females have a lot in common.
Throughout the breeding season, Cattle Egret feathers change color and become brighter, particularly on their legs and face.
Their pale orange markings darken during the breeding season. At the peak of their courting, their bills, legs, and irises turn bright red, with pinkish-red facial skin (lores).
- 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 across the globe, however those in Mexico, the Gulf Coast, and southern US states stay throughout the year.
Breeders, on the other hand, migrate south after breeding as they move north.
Cattle Egrets may be found in grasslands, pastures, agricultural fields, and rice fields wherever there are hoofed animals.
They do venture into the edges of aquatic environments, such as riverbanks, ponds, and shallow marshes, despite their preference to stay on land and atop cattle. Golf courses, lawns, athletic fields, dumps, and parks are all places where they can be found.
Insects, mostly grasshoppers, crickets, flies, beetles, and moths make up the diet of Cattle Egrets. Spiders, frogs, small snakes, lizards, earthworms, and fish are also among the animals they eat.
Cattle Egret nests are usually built in woodlands near lakes or rivers, in marshes, or on tiny islands. They are made of sticks and reeds and are usually found in colonies.
Females deposit up to nine eggs, which they incubate for around twenty-five days. The young take approximately 45 days to fledge, become self-sufficient, and mature.
Fun Fact: Rather than compensating for light refraction while feeding in water, the Cattle Egret’s eyes have evolved to function on land by combining binocular vision with distance judgment.
9. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
During migration, yellow-crowned night-herons have been observed in Minnesota, although this is uncommon.
Yellow crowns with two plumes protruding from their heads distinguish adult Yellow-crowned Night Herons. Their bills are black and they have a deep voice. Their remaining heads are black, with a little white patch on each side of their faces.
As they grew older, their eyes became red and shifted 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 purple, pink, or red.
Grayish-brown with white streaks and spots, juveniles become grayish-brown all over. 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 moving south, yellow-crowned night-herons breed mostly in the southern United States. Throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, and northern South America, they can be found all year.
In coastal places with a lot of crustaceans, shallow waters, and wide margins where 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 that they consume. Little prey may be devoured in a flash.
Crabs are frequently dismembered or stabbed in the body.
Yellow-crowned Night-herons often build small, loose colonies, but they always construct nests near water. Both parents construct the nests out of spongey sticks and twigs, which have been softened with grass, leaves, or moss.
After that, she lays up to eight eggs and stays with them for three weeks while they incubate. The babies are fed through regurgitation after hatching. They fledge after about a month and can fly on their own at fifty days.
Fun Fact: The eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) virus, which can kill horses and people, is carried by yellow-crowned night-herons.
10. Little Blue Heron
Minnesota hasn’t seen much of the Little Blue Heron since it was last seen in 2021 around the south of Madelia.
Little Blue Herons, despite their tiny size, are quite big. Their bodies are long and stretched, ranging in size from medium to large. With dangling feathers across the nape, their heads and necks have a purplish hue.
During the breeding season, their eyes can darken to a gray-green color. Two-toned – pale blue or grayish with black tips – their long, dagger-like bills are two-toned. Slate-blue is the color of their corpses. They have black to gray-green legs that are long.
Until they reach adulthood, juvenile Little Blue Herons are totally white and acquire a brownish tint with blue and white mixed in.
- 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, who spend the winter in southern Mexico and the Gulf Coast before moving south.
Little Blue Herons may be found in swamps, marshes, ponds, streams, lagoons, tidal flats, canals, ditches, fish hatcheries, and flooded fields.
As compared to other herons, Little Blue Herons search in a more elegant method. They simply stand and wait in shallow waters for their prey instead of dashing about across the water.
Fish, frogs, snakes, turtles, spiders, crustaceans, mice, and insects are among the foods of Little Blue Herons. Adults prefer to go off by themselves, while juveniles prefer to remain in mixed groups.
Little Blue Heron nests are constructed of sticks and are generally found in groups with other herons. Up to six eggs are laid by the female. For up to twenty-four days, both parents incubate the eggs.
Fun Fact: Juvenile Little Blue Herons’ white coloring allows them to catch more fish and gain additional protection from predators, and their presence among Snowy Egrets.
11. Tricolored Heron
In Minnesota, tricolored herons are an uncommon sight. They are only found in small numbers in the state, however they were recently discovered near Watonwan in 2022.
With its white belly and neck stripe, you can easily identify a Tricolored Heron from other herons.
Adult non-breeding birds have a mix of blue, purple, and white feathers. Their bills have a black tip and are yellowish or greyish. They have yellow or olive green legs and feet.
Adults develop blue bases of their bills and have thin, white feathers emerging from the back of their heads. On their necks and backs, they have more delicate feathers. Their legs, too, turn reddish in hue.
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)
Along the Gulf Coast, Mexico, and northern South America, tricolored Herons stay throughout the year. Breeding animals migrate south as they breed farther north along the Atlantic Coast.
In freshwater and brackish marshes, estuaries, and coastal tidal pools or swamps, you may see Tricolored Herons.
Tricolored Herons are aggressive of their feeding grounds and feed alone. They’ll want to eat little fish, frogs, crustaceans, and insects, so they’ll drive away other wading birds who try to visit their area.
They’ll stalk, chase, stand, and wait for their victim to arrive. Before striking, they crouch low in the water with their bellies flush against the surface and their necks pulled in.
Stick nests built by Tricolored Herons are found in colonies atop trees and shrubs. The female lays three to five eggs, and both parents spend three weeks caring for the eggs before they hatch. The infants are also fed by both of them.
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 Minnesota In Summer And Winter
Birds that are frequently seen in your state can be found using checklists. In Minnesota’s checklists in the summer and winter, these lists show which herons are most commonly seen.
Herons in Minnesota in summer:
Great Blue Heron 16.2%
Great Egret 8.0%
Green Heron 6.7%
American Bittern 0.9%
Black-crowned Night-Heron 0.7%
Least Bittern 0.4%
Snowy Egret 0.1%
Cattle Egret 0.1%
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron <0.1%
Little Blue Heron <0.1%
Tricolored Heron <0.1%
Herons in Minnesota in winter:
Great Blue Heron 0.2%
Black-crowned Night-Heron <0.1%
American Bittern <0.1%
Great Egret <0.1%
Green Heron <0.1%