Nebraska has documented ten of the 17 species of herons that live in North America on a regular basis. There are two more that are uncommon or unintentional. You can identify and learn more about these long-legged birds with this guide.
Herons, which may be found in saltwater, fresh water, or even peering into your backyard pond for a quick snack, are water-loving birds.
Nonetheless, many of the fish herons you see are protected and should be caught with a net if you’re having trouble.
Herons, on the other hand, prefer to hunt alone by standing absolutely still and waiting for the prey or dashing about to agitate it. Heronries are often used for nesting.
“Rookery,” “battery,” “hedge,” “siege,” and “pose of herons are just a few of the names for a group of herons that is surprising in its diversity.
You might want to learn more about the ducks, swans, or pelicans that you may see here if you enjoy seeing waterbirds in Nebraska.
12 Species Of Heron In Nebraska
1. Great Blue Heron
During the breeding season, from April to October, Great Blue Herons may be seen in Nebraska, but they can also be seen all year. Summer checklists from birdwatchers in the state show them at 15% and winter checklists show them at 2%.
The largest heron native to North America, Great Blue Herons, are enormous and majestic birds.
Their face is white, with a black plume extending from the front of their eyes to the back of their heads. Yellow-orangish bills cover their eyes.
The front of their necks are streaked with black and white, and their bodies are grayish-blue. Their legs are long.
- Ardea herodias
- Length: 46 – 52 in (117 – 132 cm)
- Weight: 128 oz (3628 g)
- Wingspan: 77 – 82 in (196 – 208 cm)
Most US states have Great Blue Herons throughout the year, although they migrate south during breeding season.
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’ diet.
When wading or standing in water, they capture their prey. Hovering over water, diving in, leaping feet-first from perches, and floating on the water’s surface are all examples of Hovering.
Great Blue Heron colonies, located high up in trees near to water, are home to nests. Twigs and sticks are lined with softer material to construct the nests.
Because Great Blue Herons reuse their nests, they can expand and enhance the nests over time, increasing their size.
After that, the female lays two to seven eggs. During roughly four weeks, both parents incubate the eggs.
Fun Fact: With their heads thrown back, Great Blue Herons protect their feeding area with spectacular wing outstretched shows.
2. Great Egret
Between April and May and mid-July to October, Great Egrets spend the breeding season in Nebraska, but their numbers rise during migration.
During migration, they appear in 7% of checklists and 1% of summer checklists.
When males have bright green facial skin and lengthy, wispy feathers (aigrettes) extending from their backs to their tails, Great Egrets are at their best during breeding season.
They’re often known as Great White Herons because they’re huge, all-white herons. Common egrets are another name for these birds. These huge birds have dagger-like, long, vivid yellow beaks and lengthy, black legs and feet. They are white in color.
Males, women, and juveniles all have the same appearance when they are not breeding.
- Ardea alba
- Length: 37 – 41 in (94 – 104cm)
- Weight: 59.96 oz (1699 g)
- Wingspan: 54 – 55 in (137 – 140 cm)
The world of Great Egrets is enormous. Those in the southern and coastal US regions stay here all year, but those in the interior and Canada go south.
Great Egrets may be found in both freshwater and saltwater marshes, as well as fish ponds.
Fish, frogs, small mammals, crustaceans, and insects make up the majority of Great Egret’s diets. Great Egrets will stand on the water motionless, waiting for and scouting out their prey before striking and spearing it with their long bills.
In colonies, Great Egret nests may be found. To defend the nests from predators like raccoons, they are usually placed high up in trees, preferably on islands.
Sticks, twigs, and stems from marsh plants are used to make them. Females lay between six and ten eggs, with both parents taking around twenty-five days to incubate them.
Fun Fact: Because of their lengthy white feathers (aigrettes), the Great Egret was on the verge of extinction. They were mainly utilized to embellish ladies’ headgear.
3. Green Heron
From April to October, Green Herons are present in Nebraska during the breeding season, appearing on 2% of summer checklists. The east of the state is where you’ll find them.
The glossy green-black hue of the crowns, crests, backs, and wings of green herons earns them the name “green herons,” but from a distance they appear bent and gloomy.
During the breeding season, their bills turn black and are two-toned, with a dark top and a yellow bottom. Their irises and legs become orange as well, turning yellow.
Chestnut or maroon are the colors of their heads, necks, and breasts. A long white stripe runs down the front length of their neck, with a black tip. Gray is the color of their bellies.
Browner 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 mostly in eastern US states and the Pacific Coast. Those, however, are permanent fixtures along the Gulf Coast, the Caribbean, and Mexico.
Green Herons may be found in swamps, marshes, lakes, ponds, and other wet environments with deep vegetation. They may remain in dry woods or orchards if there are water sources nearby, despite preferring coastal and inland wetlands.
Little fish, insects, spiders, crustaceans, snails, amphibians, reptiles, and rodents make up the Green Heron’s diet. Instead of wading, they usually hunt from the shore by perched on sticks over the water.
Green Heron nests are built in high trees above water, but some may choose to leave them on the ground, hidden beneath shrubs.
Females may lay up to six eggs over the course of two days. Only when the final egg has been deposited does both parents begin incubation, which lasts around twenty days. As soon as their young are born, they both feed them.
Fun Facts: Bait, such as bread, feathers, twigs, and leaves are used by green herons to catch their prey, which is one of the few bird species that do so. (Davis and Kushlan, 1994)
4. Black-crowned Night-Heron
During the breeding season, black-crowned night-herons can be found in Nebraska. They arrive in April and begin migrating in October.
The typical description of the heron family does not apply to black-crowned night-herons, or simply night herons. It has a shorter beak, neck, and legs than the other species.
The black caps of adult black-crowned night-herons are long and extend from a white line above their black bills.
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. Their limbs and feet are yellow in color.
Two or three white feathers develop on the crown during the breeding season, as the black head and back paint becomes a lustrous blue-green. The legs and feet become red or pink, while the lores turn black.
The overall color of juveniles is a drab 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 range of black-crowned nightherons spans the globe. Before migrating south, they breed in the United States and Canada. Others may be seen all year along the beaches.
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 utilised.
In order to choose their mates, males build nests of Black-crowned Night-herons in bushes or trees, which they start themselves.
The female will deposit up to seven eggs every two days. For around twenty-four days, both parents start to incubate the eggs as soon as they are deposited. For around three weeks, the parents will look after their child.
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 breeding season, from April to October, American Bitterns may be seen in Nebraska.
In the spring of the American Bittern, you may hear strange watery boom noises before you see them, if you’re lucky. Below you’ll find a list of them.
The Heron family includes American Bitterns, which are hefty, medium-sized birds.
Because of their brown striped and mottled patterning, as well as the fact that they can stay motionless amid the reeds with their head tilted up, they resemble the reeds they hide in.
They have small legs and yellow eyes that turn orange during courtship.
They have small 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.
In shallow, freshwater marshes and wetlands with tall reeds, you can almost exclusively find america Bitterns.
Train your eyes on the edges of lakes and ponds amid the coarse vegetation to find them.
Fish, crustaceans, insects, amphibians, and small mammals make up the diet of American Bitterns. They quietly forage among the reeds, staying hidden and silent until their victim approaches and then darting forward quickly to catch them in their beaks.
American Bitterns’ nests are often spotted on water, disguised among rough vegetation. With available reeds, sedges, cattails, and other vegetation, females select a nest site and construct it themselves.
The eggs are incubated for around twenty-six days and lay up to seven eggs. The females feed the chicks directly into their beaks when they are born. They depart the nest after two weeks, and it takes six to seven weeks for them to be fully developed.
Fun Fact: Just like the reeds that conceal them, American Bitterns point upwards and sway gently from side to side.
6. Cattle Egret
From April through October, Cattle Egrets may be seen in Nebraska, although they are rare.
Cattle Egrets utilize a clever strategy to capture their prey…they stand on the backs of cattle, which moves and stirs the earth, catching the startled prey.
The white bodies and pale orange-brown patches on the heads, necks, and backs of Cattle Egrets are small, short-necked egrets.
Their irises and face are yellow in color. Their bills are tiny, and their legs are greenish-black. Males and females have a similar appearance.
During the breeding season, Cattle Egrets change color and grow brighter, particularly on their legs and face.
- Bubulcus ibis
- Length: 19 – 21 in (48 – 53 cm)
- Weight: 17.98 oz (510 g)
- Wingspan: 36 – 38 in (91 – 97 cm)
Outside of North America, cattle egrets may be found all year in Mexico, the Gulf Coast, and the southwestern United States.
Those who breed further north, mostly in the eastern United States, migrate south after breeding.
Cattle Egrets may be found in open grasslands, pastureland, agricultural fields, and rice fields, especially near hoofed animals.
They do venture into the edges of aquatic environments, such as riverbanks, ponds, and shallow marshes. Although they prefer to stay on land and atop cattle, they may be found there. Golf courses, lawns, sports fields, dumps, and parks are also where you’ll find them.
Insects, mostly grasshoppers, crickets, flies, beetles, and moths make up the diet of Cattle Egrets. Spider, frogs, small snakes, lizards, earthworms, and fish are among the animals they consume.
Cattle Egret nests are usually created in woods near lakes or rivers, in marshes, or on small islands and are constructed out of sticks and reeds.
The female lays nine eggs, which take roughly twenty-five days to hatch. The juvenile takes roughly 45 days to grow, fledge, and completely break away from their parents.
Fun Fact: In order to catch prey on land rather than compensate for light refraction while eating in water, the Cattle Egret’s eyes have evolved binocular vision.
7. Snowy Egret
During migration from April to mid-May and August to September, snowy egrets breed in eastern Nebraska, but their numbers rise.
Little, all-white herons known as snowy egrets. Their irises are yellow, and their skin surrounds their eyes is long and black. They have lengthy black beaks, lengthy black legs, and brilliant yellow feet.
Long, lacy feathers grow on their heads, necks, and backs during the breeding season. During courting, their lores and facial skin become reddish-pink, and their toes become orange-red.
During aggressive encounters, these portions of their bodies become as bright as a cherry.
Adults and juveniles have head plumes, but juveniles lack them. Their bills and legs are also lighter in color, with lores and legs that are more greenish-yellow.
- 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 from most states. In Mexico, Central and South America, they are present throughout the year.
Snowy Egrets may be found in marshes, riverbanks, lakesides, pools, salt marshes, and estuaries in shallow, wetland habitats. Swamp woods with protective trees and shrubs are preferred for nesting.
Fish, crustaceans, snails, frogs, and crayfish are among the foods of snowy egrets in shallow water. They could rest quietly and wait for prey to arrive or stir the water in order for their prey to surface and make it simpler for them to capture.
Snowy Egret males select their nests. They choose a spot and go out in full view to attract mates. The males continue to offer sticks, sedges, or reeds to the females as they build the nest.
Nesting is most often done in trees or shrubs on the ground, although they can be found in trees as well. Both parents take turns incubating the eggs, which are laid by the female in two to six eggs. The average incubation period is twenty-four days.
Fun Fact: Because of their lovely white head feathers, which were ideal as a woman’s hat decoration or accessory, the Snowy Egrets were nearly hunted to extinction.
8. Least Bittern
Nebraska has a low population of Least Bitterns, but during the breeding season, they are seen east of the state.
The smallest herons in the Americas, least bitterns are difficult to detect in the reeds since they are quite quiet.
With a black cap and yellow beak, they’re brown and white hues. They grip the reeds with their lengthy toes and claws.
Females and juveniles have lighter backs and crowns than males, but they look similar.
- Ixobrychus exilis
- Length: 11 – 14 in (28 – 36 cm)
- Weight: 3 oz (85 g)
- Wingspan: 16 – 18 in (41 – 46 cm)
The range of Little Bitterns is Europe and Africa, but they may stray into North America on occasion.
In dense freshwater and brackish marshlands with several tall cattails and reeds, you may observe Least Bitterns. When they perch on reeds, look for them.
They’ll freeze up, raise their bills to the sky, and sway in rhythm with the reeds as soon as they sense danger.
Little fish, frogs, tadpoles, salamanders, slugs, dragonflies, aquatic bugs, and occasionally mice are among the foods of least bitterns. They situate themselves on the reeds, sometimes twisting themselves in ways that would require acrobatic contortions to reach their victim in the water’s surface.
The female of Least Bitterns makes well-concealed nests out of cattails and marsh vegetation, which are well-concealed platforms. The parents incubate her eggs for roughly twenty days after she lays seven. After that, they regurgitate food to feed newly hatched chicks.
Fun Fact: The necks of least bitterns are long, yet they remain stooped.
9. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Yellow-crowned Night-Herons may be seen in Nebraska throughout their migration south of the state, despite the fact that they are not common.
The crowns of adult yellow-crowned night herons are yellow, with two plumes extending from them. Their bills are a considerable amount of black. The rest of their skulls are black, with a little white patch on the sides beneath their eyes.
As they grow older, their eyes turn yellow, orange, and red.
Their wings have a scaled pattern, and their bodies are gray-blue. During the breeding season, their legs become coral, pink, or red and grow to be long and yellow.
Adults have white streaks and spots on their backs that start grayish-brown. 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 mostly in the southeastern United States. In Mexico, the Caribbean, and northern South America, they are present all year.
In coastal places with a lot of crustaceans, shallow waters, and good places to feed, you may see Yellow-crowned Night-herons at dawn and dusk.
Crustaceans like crabs and crayfish make up the majority of Yellow-crowned Night-heron’s diets. Fish, insects, worms, mollusks, lizards, snakes, rats and birds are among the animals that they eat. Little prey may be devoured quickly by them.
Crabs are frequently dismembered or stabbed in their bodies.
Yellow-crowned Night-heron nests are usually found in tiny, loose colonies, but they always prefer to build near water. Both parents construct nests out of soft sticks and twigs gathered from grass, leaves, or moss.
After that, they lay up to eight eggs and keep them under their wings for three weeks. Chicks are fed through regurgitation when they hatch. They fledge after around a month and may fly on their own at the age of fifty.
Fun Fact: The deadly mosquito-borne illness eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) virus can kill horses and humans, and the yellow-crowned night-heron can carry it.
10. Little Blue Heron
During migration, you may see some Little Blue Herons in Nebraska, but they are uncommon.
Little Blue Herons don’t always appear to be tiny. They have long, extended bodies and are in the medium to large range. With dangleing feathers across the nape, their heads and necks are a purple color.
During the breeding season, their eyes become gray-green, which is a pale yellow color. Two-toned – pale blue or grayish with black tips – their long, dagger-like bills are two-toned. Slate-blue skin covers their bodies. Long, black to gray-green legs are found on these species.
During their first year of life, juvenile Little Blue Herons are completely white, gradually turning dark gray, blue, and white.
- 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 before they migrate south, but all year along the Gulf Coast and Mexico, Little Blue Herons can be found.
Little Blue Herons may be found around water, in swamps, marshes, ponds, streams, lagoonaies, tidal flats, canals, and flooded fields.
In comparison to other herons, little blue herons forage in a more elegant manner. They just 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 are among the foods Little Blue Herons eat. Adults forage alone, whereas juveniles prefer to mix with other youngsters.
Little Blue Heron nests are usually sticks and are found in colonies with other herons. Six eggs are laid by the female. For up to twenty-four days, both parents share in the incubation.
Fun Fact: Their presence among Snowy Egrets allows Juvenile Little Blue Herons to catch more fish and gain additional protection from predators, due to their white coloring.
11. Reddish Egret
In Nebraska, Reddish Egrets are considered endangered and have not been spotted since 2020, according to records.
This is one of the greatest birds to watch due to Reddish Egrets’ dark pink and grayish-blue hues and their zealous pursuit of fish.
They are dark and light morphs of Reddish Egrets, despite the fact that white morphs are uncommon.
The bodies, necks, and breasts of dark morph Reddish Egrets are blue-gray, with a cinnamon tone. Pink with a black tip, their notes are shaped like wallets.
The bodies of white morphs are completely white. They have blue-black legs and feet, as well as straw yellow eyes with deeper skin around (lores).
Adults will mate with either morph, but juveniles are also dark or white.
All year across the Gulf Coast, East Coast, and Mexico, until northern South America, Reddish Egrets stay.
In open marine flats and beaches, you may see Reddish Egrets. Marshes, shallow bays, and lagoons are all home to these creatures.
Reddish Egrets are generally solitary birds that forage and feed. In the hopes of catching fish, they cross shallow, flooded flats. They immediately stab the fish with their beaks after they’ve scared them up.
Reddish Egret nests are typically found in colonies, with both parents constructing a sticks platform. On protected islands, they are typically found near feeding areas.
The female lays between seven and twenty-five eggs, which the parents incubate for twenty-five days. Even after they leave the nest, they both worry about the young and will feed them for up to nine weeks.
Fun Fact: The male will perform a head toss display and beak snapping during mating, puffing out his feathers and standing out on his head, neck, and back.
12. Tricolored Heron
In Nebraska, the Tricolored Heron is an unexpected species. They’re exceedingly uncommon in the state and haven’t been seen in years.
The white belly and neck stripe distinguishes Tricolored Herons from other herons.
Adults that are not breeding have a blend of blue-gray, purple, and white feathers. Their bills are black at the tip and have a yellowish or greyish color. They have yellow or olive green legs and feet.
The base of the adults’ bill turns blue as well as thin, white feathers that extend from the back of their heads. On their necks and backs, they have finer feathers as well. Their legs take on a crimson hue 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)
Throughout the Gulf Coast, Mexico, and northern South America, tricolored Herons may be seen all year. Those that breed farther north in the Atlantic Coast go south as they migrate.
Tricolored Herons may be found in marshes, estuaries, and coastal tidal pools or swamps, both freshwater and brackish.
Tricolored Herons defend their feeding grounds by being solitary feeders. Other wading birds that want to eat little fish, frogs, crustaceans, and insects will be chased away from their area.
They’re going to stalk, pursue, stand, and wait for their victim. Before striking, they lower their bodies to the water’s surface, resting their bellies against it and necks drawn in.
In trees and shrubs, nests of Tricolored Herons are built out of sticks and constructed in colonies. After three weeks of incubation, the female lays three to five eggs and both parents share the responsibility of raising them. The young are also fed by both of them.
Fun Fact: The only dark-colored heron with a white belly, the Tricolored Heron used to be known as the Louisiana Heron.
How Frequently Herons Are Spotted In Nebraska In Summer And Winter
Using checklists, you can discover which birds are most frequently seen in your region. During checklists on ebird in the summer and winter of Nebraska, these lists indicate which herons are most often sighted.
Herons in Nebraska in summer:
Great Blue Heron 15.3%
Green Heron 2.6%
Great Egret 1.0%
Black-crowned Night-Heron 0.8%
American Bittern 0.8%
Cattle Egret 0.6%
Least Bittern 0.2%
Snowy Egret 0.2%
Little Blue Heron 0.1%
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 0.1%
Reddish Egret <0.1%
Herons in Nebraska in winter:
Great Blue Heron 2.2%
Black-crowned Night-Heron <0.1%