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Identifying Breeding Adults
Photo credit: Bert Kief
- Breeding adults have ornate plumes on their heads, necks and backs
- Males are generally larger than females and have longer bills
- Non-breeding adults and juveniles do not have plumes
- Juveniles have a distinctly larger black crown on their heads
Heron Facts
- Adult herons usually return to nest in the same colony they were born in, others are attracted from nearby heronries to help ensure genetic diversity
- Nests can be a meter in diameter and half a meter thick, made of a large collection of twigs and sticks with a centre cavity lined with moss and lichen
- Herons can live to 15-20 years of age and they are capable of breeding in their second year
- Great blue herons have been designated as a "species at risk" by the B.C. Government
- The herons have nested in their current location for 8 years. Prior to that they nested near Brockton Point (approx. 1921-1960s) and the Stanley Park Zoo (approx. 1960s-1999).
