In Oklahoma, 11 of the North American’s 17 Heron species have been discovered. There’s a 1 in there that’s uncommon or unintentional. This guide will help you identify and learn more about these long-legged birds.
Herons, which may be found in saltwater, freshwater, or even peering into your backyard pond for a quick snack, are water-loving birds.
Nevertheless, several of your fish herons are protected, thus a net is your finest option if you’re having trouble with them.
Herons generally nest in large colonies known as heronries, but they prefer to hunt on their own by standing motionless and waiting or by dashing about.
A flock of herons is known by a variety of names, including “rookery,” “battery,” “hedge,” and even the odd word like “siege” and “pose.”
You may want to learn more about the ducks, swans, and pelicans that you might see in Oklahoma if you appreciate seeing waterbirds.
12 Species Of Heron In Oklahoma
1. Great Blue Heron
In Oklahoma, Great Blue Herons may be found throughout the year and are ubiquitous. They were seen on 21% of the state’s summer and winter bird-watchers’ checklists.
The biggest heron native to North America, Great Blue Herons, are huge and stunning birds.
Their face is white, with a black plume that stretches from the front of their eyes to the back of their heads. Their bills are orange-yellow in color.
They have grayish-blue bodies with long gray legs and 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 have Great Blue Herons that stay throughout the year, but those that breed in the Mid-West and Canada migrate south during winter.
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 places where they may be found.
Fish, frogs, salamanders, shrimps, crabs, dragonflies, grasshoppers, and other aquatic insects make up the major portion of the Great Blue Heron’s diet.
When wading or standing in water, they capture their prey. They may also dive into the water, jump from perches feet-first, or float on the surface of the water.
Great Blue Heron colonies may be found high up in trees near water, with nests. Twigs and sticks are used to build the nests, which are lined with softer material.
Great Blue Herons’ nests may be rebuilt and expanded over time, thanks to the fact that they reuse them.
After that, the female deposits two to seven eggs. For about four weeks, both parents incubate the eggs.
Fun Fact: With their heads thrown back, Great Blue Herons protect their feeding territory with dramatic wing outstretched displays.
2. Great Egret
During the breeding season, from April to October, Great Egrets may be seen in Oklahoma, although a few lingered all year in the east. Summer checklists include them in 17% of the time.
During the breeding season, when males have neon green facial skin and long, wispy feathers (aigrettes) extending from their backs to their tails, Great Egrets are at their best. Males display them off during courting, much as a peacock does with its tail.
They’re big, all-white herons that are sometimes called Great White Herons because of their size. Common egrets are another name for them. The large birds have dagger-like, long, bright yellow beaks and black legs and feet. They are white in color.
Males, females, and juveniles of non-breeding species 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 is found all around the globe. Those in the southern and coastal United States stay there all year, whereas those in Canada migrate 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 the diet of Great Egrets. Great Egrets stand motionless on the water, waiting for their prey to arrive and be scouted, before striking and spearing it with their long bills.
In colonies, Great Egret nests may be found. To protect the nests from predators such as raccoons, they are usually placed high up in trees, preferably on islands.
Marsh plant stems and sticks are used to make them. Both parents incubate the eggs for around twenty-five days, which they lay up to six.
Fun Fact: Because of their lengthy white feathers (aigrettes), the Great Egret was on the verge of extinction. These feathers were mostly utilized to adorn women’s hats.
3. Snowy Egret
From April to October, snowy egrets are seen in 7% of summer checklists, and they spend the breeding season in Oklahoma.
These are little all-white herons known as snowy egrets. Their irises are yellow, and their skin is around their eyes is long and black. Their beaks are long and black, as are their legs.
Their heads, necks, and backs become covered in long, lacy feathers throughout the breeding season. During courting, their lores or facial skin turn reddish-pink, and their toes turn orange-red.
Interestingly, during aggressive encounters, these zones of their bodies become bright red.
Adults and juveniles have head plumes, but not juveniles. Their lores and legs are also greener-yellow, and the colors on their bills and legs are 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 the southwest coast, snowy egrets may be found across the United States. In Mexico, Central, and South America, they are found throughout the year.
Snowy Egrets may be found in marshes, riverbanks, lakesides, pools, salt marshes, and estuaries in shallow wetland environments. Swamp forests with protective trees and shrubs are preferred for nesting.
Fish, crustaceans, snails, frogs, and crayfish are among the foods sought by snowy egrets in shallow water. They may rest quietly until prey comes to them, or they may stir the water to bring their prey to the surface, making it simpler for them to capture.
Males select the nests of Snowy Egrets. They choose a spot and display themselves to attract their potential mates. Males continue to provide sticks, sedges, or reeds while the female builds the nest when they pair up.
Nests are generally found on the ground in shrubs or amongst trees. Both parents incubate their eggs, and the female lays two to six eggs. The average incubation period is twenty-four days.
Fun Fact: Because of their exquisite white head feathers, which were perfect for women’s hats, snowy egrets were nearly hunted to extinction.
4. Green Heron
In Oklahoma, green herons breed and appear on 7% of summer checklists. From April to October, they can be found most commonly.
The glossy green-black coloring of the crowns, crests, backs, and wings of green herons attracts people’s attention when they are seen from a distance, but you have to get up closer to see this.
During the breeding season, their bills change to a black coloration 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. A white central stripe runs down the front length of their neck, from head to tail. Gray is the color of their bellies.
Browner and with a taller crest than adults, 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 moving south, Green Herons breed primarily in the eastern US and the Pacific Coast. Those in the Gulf Coast, Caribbean, and Mexico, on the other hand, are permanent.
Swamps, marshes, lakes, ponds, and other wet environments with dense vegetation are home to Green Herons. They may stay 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 make up the Green Heron’s diet. Instead of wading, they hunt from the beach by perched on sticks over the water.
Green Heron nests are constructed of long, slender twigs high in the forest canopy above water, although they may be left on the ground hidden beneath shrubs.
Females lay two to six eggs every two days, with two days between each. The last egg is deposited, and the parents begin incubating it after 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 food. This is one of the few bird species that uses tools for foraging.
5. Cattle Egret
During the breeding season, Cattle Egrets may be seen in Oklahoma and on 6% of summer checklists. They begin migrating in November after arriving in March.
Cattle Egrets utilize a clever technique of catching their prey…they stand on the backs of grazing animals, allowing them to capture the fleeing prey when they move and create noise.
White bodies and light orange-brown patches on the heads, necks, and backs distinguish Cattle Egrets from other small, short-necked egrets.
Their irises and cheeks are yellow in color. Short yellow bills with greenish-black legs are their characteristic features. Males and females have a similar appearance.
During the breeding season, Cattle Egrets become brighter, especially on their legs and face.
Their pale 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 across the globe, however in North America, those living near the Gulf Coast and southwest US states remain year-round.
Those that breed farther north, mostly in the eastern United States, however migrate south after breeding.
Cattle Egrets may be found in grasslands, pastures, agricultural fields, and rice fields where hoofed livestock are present.
They do venture into the margins of aquatic settings, such as riverbanks, ponds, and shallow marshes, despite their preference to remain on land and atop cattle. Golf courses, lawns, athletic fields, dumps, and parks are also good places to look for them.
Insects, mostly grasshoppers, crickets, flies, beetles, and moths make up the Cattle Egrets’ diet. Spider, frogs, tiny snakes, lizards, earthworms, and fish are among the other animals they consume.
Cattle Egret nests are generally put in woodlands near lakes or rivers, in bogs, or on tiny islands. They are made of sticks and reeds and are usually put in colonies.
The females lay nine eggs and take around twenty-five days to incubate them. The juvenile takes roughly 45 days to grow, fledge, and become completely independent of their parents.
Fun Fact: By having binocular vision while hunting prey on land instead of correcting for light refraction while feeding in water, the Cattle Egret’s eyes have adapted to foraging on land.
6. Little Blue Heron
From March through November, Little Blue Herons may be seen in Oklahoma, however their numbers peak between July and mid-October. During summer migration, they appear in 4% of checklists, and during autumn migration, they appear in 8%.
Little Blue Herons aren’t that little, after all. With long, extended bodies, they range in size from medium to huge. With drooping feathers across the nape, their heads and necks take on a purple color.
During the breeding season, their eyes turn gray-green, which are light yellow. 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 skin. They have black to gray-green legs that are long and slender.
Until they reach the age of one, juvenile Little Blue Herons are completely white. They then develop a dark gray, blue, and white coloration.
- 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 United States’ eastern states, and those in the Gulf Coast and Mexico stay there throughout the year.
Little Blue Herons may be seen around water, such as in bogs, marshes, ponds, streams, lagoons, tidal flats, canals, ditches, fish hatcheries, and flooded fields.
In comparison to other herons, Little Blue Herons forage in a more graceful manner. They simply stand and wait in shallow waters for their prey, rather than dashing about across the water.
Fish, reptiles, spiders, crustaceans, mice, and insects make up the Little Blue Heron’s diet. Adults prefer to go alone, but juveniles prefer to remain in mixed groups.
Little Blue Heron nests are built 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 share in the incubation.
Fun Fact: Juvenile Little Blue Herons’ white coloring makes them easier to see among Snowy Egrets, allowing them to capture more fish and gain additional protection against predators.
7. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
From March to October, yellow-crowned night-herons can be found in Oklahoma, accounting for 3% of summer checklists. Oklahoma City and the southeast of the state are where they breed. They’re also seen traveling across the rest of the state.
Yellow crowns with two plumes protrude from the heads of adult Yellow-crowned Night Herons. They have large, black bills. Their lower heads are black, with a little white patch 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 grow longer and turn coral, pink, or crimson.
Grayish-brown juveniles with white streaks and dots cover their entire bodies. It takes three years for them to mature.
- Nyctanassa violacea
- Length: 22 – 28 in (56 – 71 cm)
- Weight: 25.6 oz ( 726 g)
- Wingspan: 42 0 44 in (107 – 112 cm)
Before heading south, yellow-crowned nightherons breed mostly in the southern United States. Throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, and northern South America, they remain throughout the year.
In coastal areas with a lot of crustaceans, shallow waters, and suitable feeding habitats, you may see Yellow-crowned Night-herons in the morning and evening.
Crustaceans such as crabs and crayfish make up the majority of Yellow-crowned Nightherons’ diet. Fish, insects, worms, mollusks, lizards, snakes, rodents, and birds are among the other foods they eat. They can devour little creatures in a flash.
Crabs are frequently dismembered or stabbed with a knife.
Yellow-crowned Night-herons build nests near water in tiny, loose colonies, which are common. Both parents create nests from soft sticks and twigs, grass, leaves, or moss.
After that, she deposits up to eight eggs, which take roughly three weeks to hatch. The chicks are fed through regurgitation when they hatch. They fledge after around a month and can fly on their own at the age of fifty.
Fun Fact: Yellow-crowned night-herons are carriers of the eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEEE) virus, which can kill both horses and people.
8. Black-crowned Night-Heron
Western Oklahoma is home to the black-crowned night-herons, who may be seen flying throughout the state. Summer checklists include them at a rate of 2%.
The typical picture of the heron family does not apply to Black-crowned Night-Herons, or simply Night Herons. The beak, neck, and legs are all shorter than those of a typical chicken.
The typical description of the heron family does not apply to Black-crowned Night-Herons, or simply Night Herons. It has a smaller beak, neck, and legs, as well as being stockier.
Black caps cover the heads of adult Black-crowned Night-herons, which extends from a white line above their black beaks.
The lores (in front of the eye, towards the beak) are green-blue, and their eyes are red. Underneath, they’re white, but on the back, they’re black. Yellow is the color of their legs and feet.
The black head and back become glossy blue-green during the breeding season, with two or three white feathers appearing on the crown. The legs and feet become red or pink, and the lores turn black.
The overall color of juveniles is a drab 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 Night-herons spans the globe. Before heading south, they breed in the United States and Canada. Many are found year-round on the beaches.
Wetland environments 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 used to raise them.
Black-crowned Night-herons eat whatever they can find at night, such as crayfish and fish, as well as turtles and worms.
Male Black-crowned Night-herons start building nests in bushes or trees in preparation for choosing their mates.
The female will then deposit up to seven eggs in two-day intervals. For around twenty-four days, both parents begin to incubate the eggs that have been laid. For roughly three weeks, the parents will be in charge of their kid.
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.
9. American Bittern
Throughout migration from April to May and September to October, American Bitterns are frequently seen in Oklahoma, although they are not particularly abundant.
In the spring of the American Bittern, if you’re lucky, you’ll hear their strange watery boom calls long before they arrive. Below is a list of the locations you may visit.
The Heron family includes American Bitterns, which are a chunky, medium-sized species.
Because of their brown striped and mottled patterning, they appear to be reeds that they hide among, and their ability to stay motionless amid the reeds with their head inclined skyward.
They have small 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 moving to the Gulf Coast and Mexico, American Bitterns breeds in Canada and northern US states.
Shallow freshwater marshes and wetlands with tall reeds are home to American Bitterns.
Look for them along the margins of lakes and ponds, amid the rough vegetation.
Fish, crustaceans, insects, amphibians, and small mammals make up the diet of American Bitterns. They wait quietly and still in the reeds, waiting for their victim to approach before darting forward swiftly to capture them in their bills.
On the water, amid coarse vegetation, you may find nests of American Bitterns. Females select a nest site and construct it using available reeds, sedges, cattails, and other plants.
They lay seven eggs and take around twenty-six days to incubate them. The females feed the chicks straight into their beaks when they are born, through regurgitation. They leave the nest two weeks after emerging, and it takes six to seven weeks for them to be fully fledged.
Fun Fact: Like the reeds that hide them to conceal themselves, American Bitterns point upwards and sway gently from side to side.
10. Least Bittern
During migration in the northeast of the state, Least Bitterns breed in southeastern Oklahoma and are spotted. From April to September, they can be seen, but they are uncommon.
In the Americas, Least Bitterns are the tiniest herons, and they’re tough to spot in the reeds. But you may hear them first.
Their yellow beak is dark on top and has brown and white hues. The reeds are gripped with their long toes and claws.
Females and juveniles have lighter backs and crowns than males, but they are identical.
- Ixobrychus exilis
- Length: 11 – 14 in (28 – 36 cm)
- Weight: 3 oz (85 g)
- Wingspan: 16 – 18 in (41 – 46 cm)
The Little Bittern migrates throughout Europe and Africa, but it may also visit North America on occasion.
Least Bitterns can be found in rich freshwater and brackish marshlands with a lot of tall cattails and reeds. When they perch on reeds, look for them.
They’ll freeze up, raise their bills to the sky, and sway in time with the reeds if they sense danger.
Little fish, frogs, tadpoles, salamanders, slugs, dragonflies, aquatic insects, and occasionally mice are all eaten by Least Bitterns. They crawl onto the reeds, balancing themselves on the water’s surface with acrobatic contortions.
The female of the Least Bittern creates well-concealed platforms out of cattails and marsh vegetation for her nests. For around twenty days, both parents incubate the eggs she lays up to seven. They then regurgitate food to feed newly hatched chicks.
Fun Fact: Long necks and a hunchbacked stance are characteristic of Least Bitterns.
11. Tricolored Heron
In Oklahoma, Tricolored Herons are considered a uncommon or stray variety, and they are regularly seen during migration. In the year 2022, they were sighted near Hugo Lake and Red Slough Wildlife Management Area.
The white belly and neck stripe of Tricolored Herons distinguishes them from other herons.
Adults that are not breeding have a blue-gray, purple, and white plumage. Their bills have a black tip and are yellowish or greyish. They have yellow or olive green legs and feet.
The back of the head of breeding adults is also covered with thin, white feathers, and their beak turns blue as well. On their necks and backs, they have finer 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)
Tricolored Herons remain all year along the Gulf Coast, Mexico, and northern South America. Those that breed further north along the Atlantic Coast migrate south.
Throughout the Gulf Coast, Mexico, and northern South America, tricolored Herons stay all year. Those who raise livestock farther north along the Atlantic Coast migrate south.
Tricolored Herons are protective of their feeding grounds, and they are solitary feeders. Other wading birds will be driven away from their feeding grounds, and they will love to feast on little fish, frogs, crustaceans, and insects.
They’re likely to stalk, pursue, stand, and wait for their victim. Before striking, they crouch low to the water, with their bellies and necks drawn in, touching the surface.
Heron nests are created out of sticks and placed in groups in trees and shrubs. The female deposits three to five eggs, and both parents participate in the three-week incubation process. The youngsters are also nourished by them.
Fun Fact: The only dark-colored heron with a white belly, the Tricolored Heron was formerly known as the Louisiana Heron.
12. Reddish Egret
In Oklahoma, Reddish Egrets are a near-threatened species, and in 2019, they were last seen around Stroud Lake.
This is one of the nicest birds to watch, with Reddish Egrets’ dark pink and grayish-blue hues and quick flight to capture prey.
They come in dark and light variants, despite their name of Reddish Egrets, and white variants are uncommon.
Blue-gray bodies and cinnamon-toned heads, necks, and breasts distinguish dark morph Reddish Egrets. Pink with a black tip, their bills are easy to spot.
The bodies of white morphs are totally devoid of color. They both have blue-black legs and feet, as well as straw yellow eyes with darker skin around (lores).
Adults may mate with both dark and white juveniles.
- Egretta rufescens
- Length: 27 – 32 in (69 – 81 cm)
- Weight: 15.9 oz (451 g)
- Wingspan: 46 in (117 cm)
In the Gulf Coast, East Coast, and Mexico until northern South America, Reddish Egrets live all year.
Reddish Egrets may be seen on open water flats and beaches. Marshes, shallow bays, and lagoons are also home to them.
Reddish Egret nests are frequently found in colonies, with both parents constructing a stick platform. They’re usually found on islands with close-by feeding grounds.
The female lays seven eggs, which are incubated by both parents for twenty-five days. When they leave the nest, both care for their young and will provide food to 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 on his head, neck, and back.
How Frequently Herons Are Spotted In Oklahoma In Summer And Winter
Checklists are a useful way to learn which birds you may expect to see in your area. In Oklahoma during the summer and winter, these tables show which herons are most commonly recorded on ebird checklists.
Herons in Oklahoma in summer:
Great Blue Heron 21.8%
Great Egret 17.6%
Green Heron 7.1%
Snowy Egret 7.0%
Cattle Egret 6.1%
Little Blue Heron 4.8%
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 3.8%
Black-crowned Night-Heron 1.9%
Least Bittern 0.7%
American Bittern 0.5%
Tricolored Heron 0.2%
Reddish Egret <0.1%
Herons in Oklahoma in winter:
Great Blue Heron 20.8%
Great Egret 0.9%
Black-crowned Night-Heron 0.3%
Snowy Egret <0.1%
American Bittern <0.1%
Green Heron <0.1%
Cattle Egret <0.1%