In South Dakota, nine of the 17 species of herons that live in North America have been discovered. There are two more that are unusual or unintentional. This guide will assist you identify and understand 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.
Herons, like all birds, prefer to hunt alone by remaining absolutely still and allowing or dashing about to lure the victim.
A collection of herons is known by a variety of names, including “rookery,” “battery,” “hedge,” “siege,” and “pose” to mention a few.
You may also learn more about the ducks, swans, or pelicans you may see in South Dakota if you enjoy seeing waterbirds.
11 Species Of Heron In South Dakota
1. Great Blue Heron
During the breeding season, Great Blue Herons may be seen mostly in South Dakota, but some remain throughout the winter. Bird watchers for the state report them in 10% of summer and 1% of winter checklists.
The Great Blue Heron is North America’s largest heron, and it is a big, magnificent bird.
They possess a black crest or plume that runs from in front of their eyes to the rear of their heads, with a white face. Yellow-orangish bills cover their expenses.
They have grayish-blue bodies 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 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 variant of the Great Blue Heron.
In many wetland places, you may see Great Blue Herons. 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.
When wading or standing in water, they capture their prey. Hovering over water, diving into it, leaping feet-first from perches, or floating on the water’s surface are all options they have.
Great Blue Heron colonies are built high up in trees near to water, and the nests of Great Blue Herons are found inside them. Twigs and sticks are used to build the nests, which are lined with softer material.
Since Great Blue Herons reuse their nests, they may expand and rebuild them over time, expanding the size of the nest.
The female attaches two to seven eggs to her body. For about four weeks, both parents incubate the eggs.
Fun Fact: With their heads thrown back and their wings stretched out, Great Blue Herons defend their feeding area with spectacular displays.
2. Great Egret
From April to October, Great Egrets breed in eastern South Dakota and are spotted. Summer checklists include them in 3% 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. They flaunt them during courting, just as a peacock flaunts out its tail.
They’re typically known as Great White Herons because they’re huge, all-white herons. They’re also known as common egrets. The bill of these huge birds is dagger-like, and the leg and foot are long and black.
Males, females, and juvenile birds are all similar in 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 across the globe. Those in the southern and coastal states of the United States stay there throughout the year, but those farther inland migrate south.
Great Egrets may be found in fish ponds as well as freshwater and saltwater marshes and tidal flats.
Fish, frogs, small mammals, crustaceans, and insects make up the majority of Great Egret’s diets. Great Egrets will stand stationary on the water, waiting and scouting for prey before striking and spearing it with their long bills.
Great Egret colonies have nests. To keep the nests safe from predators like raccoons, they are frequently placed high up in trees, preferably on islands.
Sticks, twigs, and stems from marsh plants are used to manufacture 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 mid-April to September, Green Herons breed in eastern South Dakota, where they appear on 1% of summer checklists.
The glossy green-black sheen of the crowns, crests, backs, and wings of green herons makes them appear to be slouchy and gloomy from afar, but you must get up close to appreciate it.
In the breeding season, their bills turn black, and they have two-toned dark on top and yellow at the bottom. Their irises and legs likewise change color from yellow to orange.
Chestnut or maroon coloration covers their heads, necks, and breasts. A white stripe runs down the front length of their neck, parallel to the rest of their body. Gray is the color of their bellies.
Browner and with a larger crest, juveniles have a more mature appearance.
- Butorides virescens
- Length: 18 – 22 in (46 – 56 cm)
- Weight: 9.17 oz (260 g)
- Wingspan: 25 – 26 in (64 – 66 cm)
Before migrating south, Green Herons breed mostly in the eastern US and on the Pacific Coast. Those in the Gulf Coast, Caribbean, and Mexico, on the other hand, are permanent.
Green Herons may be found in damp environments with deep vegetation, such as marshes, bogs, lakes, and ponds. 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. Rather than wading, they usually hunt from the shore by perching on sticks over the water.
Green Heron nests are placed high in the trees over water, although they may also be found on the ground, hidden beneath shrubs.
Females lay two eggs every two days, with a total of six eggs laid. The final egg is deposited, and the parents begin incubating, which takes around twenty days. When their eggs hatch, they both feed their offspring.
Fun Facts: Davis and Kushlan (1994) observed that “Blue Herons are one of the few bird species that use tools for foraging, such as bread, feathers, twigs, and leaves.”
4. Black-crowned Night-Heron
During the breeding season, from April to October, black-crowned night-herons may be seen in eastern South Dakota, and 1% of summer checklists have them.
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 heads of adult black-crowned night-herons are black and extend below their black beaks from a white line.
The lores (region in front of the eye, towards the beak) are green-blue, while their eyes are red. They have a darker back and are lighter on the bottom. They have yellow legs and toes.
Two or three white feathers emerge on the crown during the breeding season, and the black coloring of the head and back shifts to a glossy blue-green. Legs and feet turn red or pink, while the lores become black as well.
The juveniles have some streaking and spotting on their dull grayish-brown skin.
- 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 is quite large. Before migrating south, they breed in the United States and Canada. Some are found along the coast year-round.
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, such as crayfish and fish, as well as turtles or worms, feed on anything they can find. Black-crowned Night-herons are night-feeders.
Male Black-crowned Night-herons start nests in bushes and trees in preparation for selecting their mates, which are then built by the males.
The female will then lay up to seven eggs, laid at 2-day intervals. Both parents start to incubate the eggs as soon as they’re laid for about twenty-four days. The parents will take care of their young for about 3 weeks.
The female will lay seven eggs, two at a time, over a 2-day period. For roughly twenty-four days after the eggs are deposited, both parents begin to incubate them. For roughly three weeks, the parents will look after their infants.
Fun Fact: For more than a century, a colony of Black-crowned Night-herons has spent their summers at the Washington DC National Zoo.
5. Cattle Egret
Cattle Egrets may be seen in eastern South Dakota, and they appear on 1% of summer checklists. From April to October, they can be found here.
Cattle Egrets employ a clever strategy for capturing their meal…they sit on the backs of cattle, allowing them to move and disturb the ground, which they capture.
Cattle Egrets feature white bodies with pale orange-brown patches on their heads, necks, and backs. They are small, short-necked Egrets.
Their irises and skin around their face are yellow. Their bills are small and greenish-black, and their legs are short. Both men and women appear to be similar.
During the breeding season, Cattle Egrets turn vivid, changing color from pale to dark.
Their light orange patches darken during the breeding season. At the height of their courting, their bills, legs, and irises turn bright red, as does their 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 North America, but they are all year in the south of Mexico, the Gulf Coast, and southern US states.
Breeders, on the other hand, migrate south after breeding further north, primarily in eastern US states.
Native grasslands, pastureland, crop fields, and rice fields are all good places to look for Cattle Egrets, especially if there is hoofed livestock.
They do venture into the edges of aquatic environments, such as riverbanks, ponds, and shallow marshes, despite their preference for staying on land and on top of cattle. Golf courses, lawns, athletic fields, dumps, and parks are also possible places to find them.
Insects, mainly grasshoppers, crickets, flies, beetles, and moths are the main foods of Cattle Egrets. Spiders, frogs, small snakes, lizards, earthworms, and fish are among the creatures they consume.
Cattle Egret nests are typically constructed in woodlands near lakes or rivers, in swamps, or on tiny islands. They are made of sticks and reeds and are usually arranged in colonies.
The female produces up to nine eggs, which take around twenty-five days to hatch. The young take roughly 45 days to develop, fledge, and become completely independent of their parents.
Fun Fact: Rather than correcting for light refraction while feeding in water, the Cattle Egret’s eyes have adapted to foraging on land by having binocular vision.
6. American Bittern
In April, South Dakota Bitterns arrive, and in September they begin to move. Summer checklists include 1% of these items.
In the spring of the American Bittern, you may hear weird watery boom calls even before you see them, if you’re lucky. Below are a few examples…
The Heron family includes American Bitterns, which are robust, medium-sized birds.
Because of their brown striped and mottled patterning, they resemble the reeds they hide in, and their ability to stay still while among the reeds with their head tilted up.
They feature short legs and yellow eyes that become 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 bred in Canada and northern US states.
Shallow, freshwater marshes and wetlands with tall reeds are where you’ll find American Bitterns nearly exclusively.
To discover them, train your eyes on the margins of lakes and ponds amid the rough vegetation.
American Bittern Calls: Hear their strange watery boom calls and you’ll hear something weird. It’s one of the most bizarre bird calls I’ve ever heard.
They lay around seven eggs, which take roughly twenty-six days to hatch. Females feed the newborn chicks directly into their beaks when they are hatched. They leave the nest after two weeks, and reach full maturity in six to seven weeks.
Fun Fact: Like the reeds that conceal them, American Bitterns point upwards and sway gently from side to side.
7. Snowy Egret
During the breeding season, from April to October, snowy egrets may be seen in eastern South Dakota.
Little, all-white herons called snowy egrets, as the name implies. Their irises are yellow, their skin around the eyes is long, their beaks are long, and their feet are bright yellow.
Long, lacy feathers grow on their heads, necks, and backs during the breeding season. During courting, their lores or facial skin becomes reddish-pink, and their toes become orange-red.
Interestingly, during aggressive encounters, these regions of their bodies become brilliant red.
Adults and juveniles have head plumes, but not juveniles. Their lores and legs are more greenish-yellow, and their bills and legs have lighter colors.
- 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 stay throughout the year.
Snowy Egrets may be found in marshes, riverbanks, lakesides, pools, salt marshs, and estuaries throughout shallow, wetland environments. Swamp woods with protective trees and shrubs are preferred for nesting.
Fish, crustaceans, snails, frogs, and crayfish are all hunted by snowy egrets in shallow water. They may remain stationary and wait for prey to come to them or, alternatively, raise the water level to make catching their prey easier.
Males select Snowy Egret nests. They pick a spot and advertise themselves in full view of potential mates. Males continue to provide sticks, sedges, or reeds while females construct the nest as they pair up.
Nests are typically found on the ground, hidden among shrubs. Both parents alternate incubating their eggs after the female lays two to six eggs. The incubation period is typically twenty-four days.
Fun Fact: Because of their beautiful white head feathers, which were perfectly suited to women’s hats, snowy egrets were almost hunted down to extinction.
8. Least Bittern
South Dakota has a small population of Least Bitterns, which can be seen from May to September in the state’s east.
The smallest herons in the Americas, least bitterns are difficult to detect amid the reeds. You may hear them first amid the reeds.
With a black cap and a yellow beak, they are brown and white hues. They have large toes and claws that they use to grip the reeds.
Females and juveniles have lighter backs and crowns, but they are comparable to males.
- Ixobrychus exilis
- Length: 11 – 14 in (28 – 36 cm)
- Weight: 3 oz (85 g)
- Wingspan: 16 – 18 in (41 – 46 cm)
Little Bitterns are found across Europe and Africa, but they may also be seen in North America on occasion.
In thick freshwater and brackish marshlands with many tall cattails and reeds, you may find 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 detect danger.
Little fish, frogs, tadpoles, salamanders, slugs, dragonflies, aquatic bugs, and occasionally mice make up the diet of Least Bitterns. They settle on the reeds, sometimes performing extraordinary stretches just to reach their target on the water’s surface.
The female of the Least Bitterns builds well-concealed nests out of cattails and marsh foliage. For around twenty days, she lays seven eggs, which are incubated by both parents. They then regurgitate food to feed newly hatched chicks.
Fun Fact: Long necks and a hunchbacked stance characterize Least Bitterns.
9. Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
In South Dakota, yellow-crowned night-herons are considered uncommon or accidental, but they were seen in Wolsey, Yankton, and Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge in 2022.
Yellow crowns with two plumes protruding from their heads are worn by adult Yellow-crowned Night Herons. They have huge, black bills. Their remaining heads are black, with a little white patch on the sides below their eyes.
As they grew up, their eyes developed from yellow to orange to red.
Their wings feature a scaled pattern and they have gray-blue bodies. During the breeding season, their legs grow to be long and yellow, with a coral, pink, or red tint.
Grayish-brown in color with white streaks and marks on juveniles, they begin as grayish-brown. 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 moving south, yellow-crowned night-herons breed mostly in the southern United States. Throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, and northern South America, they stay year-round.
In coastal places with a lot of crustaceans, shallow waters, and wide edges on which to feed, you may see Yellow-crowned Night-herons at daybreak and dusk.
Crustaceans, such as crabs and crayfish, make up the majority of Yellow-crowned Night-herons’ diet. Fish, insects, worms, mollusks, lizards, snakes, rats, and birds are among the animals they consume. They can devour tiny prey right away.
Crabs are frequently dismembered or stabbed in their bodies.
Yellow-crowned Night-herons nest in tiny, loose colonies, and they always nest near water. Both parents construct the nests from flexible sticks and twigs, which are softened with grass, leaves, or moss.
After that, she sits up to eight eggs for three weeks while they are incubated together. The chicks are fed by regurgitation after they hatch. They fledge after around a month and are able to fly on their own at fifty days.
Fun Fact: The eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) virus, which can kill horses and humans, may be carried by yellow-crowned night-herons.
10. Little Blue Heron
In South Dakota, little blue herons are an uncommon species that has been designated as an accidental species. In 2020, they were observed near Langford and Hecla.
The Little Blue Herons are not as little as they seem. Their bodies are long and stretched, and they range in size from medium to big. With dangling feathers across the nape, their heads and necks have a purplish hue.
During the breeding season, their eyes may turn gray-green. Their two-toned bills are long, with dagger-like ends and black tips. Slate-blue is the color of their corpses. Long and black to gray-green, their legs are long.
Before becoming a mix of dark gray, blue, and white, Juvenile Little Blue Herons are totally white during their first year.
- Egretta caerulea
- Length: 24 – 29 in (61 – 74 cm)
- Weight: 16.22 oz (460 g)
- Wingspan: 40 – 41 in (102 – 104 cm)
Before heading south, Little Blue Herons breed in the northeastern United States, but those in the Gulf Coast and Mexico stay in southern America throughout the year.
Little Blue Herons may be spotted around bodies of water, such as marshes, ponds, streams, lagoons, tidal flats, canals, ditches, fish hatcheries.
Compared to other herons, Little Blue Herons forage in a more elegant manner. They simply stand and wait in shallow waters for their prey, rather than dashing about across the water.
Little Blue Heron nests are built of sticks and are commonly found in groups with other herons. Up to six eggs are laid by the female. Up to twenty-four days of incubation are shared by both parents.
Fun Fact: Juvenile Little Blue Herons’ appearance amid Snowy Egrets allows them to capture more fish and ensure themselves against predators, which is why they are present among them.
11. Tricolored Heron
South Dakota has never recorded a sighting of Tricolored Herons, and the last known occurrence was at Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge in 2013.
The white belly and neck stripe of Tricolored Herons distinguishes them from other herons.
Blue-gray, purple, and white feathers cover non-breeding adults. With a black tip, their bills are yellowish or greyish. Yellow or olive green on their legs and feet.
The base of the bill becomes blue, and breeding adults have thin white feathers extending from the back of their heads. Their necks and backs have also become more feathery. Their legs, as well, turn red.
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)
Herons of different colors may be seen all year along the Gulf Coast, Mexico, and northern South America. Those who breed farther north along the Atlantic Coast move south as adults.
Tricolored Herons may be found in marshes, estuaries, and coastal tidal pools or swamps, both freshwater and brackish.
Tricolored Herons are proud of their feeding grounds and feed alone. Other wading birds who enter their area to feed and love little fish, frogs, crustaceans, and insects will be chased away by them.
stalk, chase, stand, and wait for their victim to be caught; you should expect to see them doing so. Before striking, they bend low in the water and place their bellies on the surface and pull their necks in.
Tricolored Heron nests are built in colonies of trees and shrubs and are created from sticks. The female lays three to five eggs, with both parents contributing to the incubation period of three weeks before the eggs hatch. The young 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 South Dakota In Summer And Winter
Knowing which birds are most often seen in your state is easier with checklists. During the summer and winter in South Dakota, these lists show which herons are most often seen on eBird checklists.
Herons in South Dakota in summer:
Great Blue Heron 10.8%
Great Egret 3.0%
Green Heron 1.8%
Black-crowned Night-Heron 1.5%
American Bittern 1.2%
Cattle Egret 1.0%
Snowy Egret 0.8%
Least Bittern 0.1%
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron <0.1%
Little Blue Heron <0.1%
Tricolored Heron <0.1%
Herons in South Dakota in winter:
Great Blue Heron 1.4%
American Bittern <0.1%