Are there white herons? This is something many people wonder especially after seeing a tall all-white bird. The answer is yes! And here’s a fast introduction to them.
A White Color Morph
Most people are familiar with the great blue heron, a large predatory and regal-looking water bird. The great blue is one of the most common heron species in the United States. However, there is also a lesser-known white phase or morph of the great blue.
It is an all-white bird known as the great white heron. This is not considered a separate species. Despite its totally white plumage, the great white heron typically has the same characteristics as the great blue. Although it does have a slightly different bill morphology and a bit of a bigger build.
A Southern Resident
While the great blue heron can be found for the most part over the majority of northern and Central America, one of the more interesting great white heron facts is that their range is much more restricted. In the continental United States, white herons reside only in the southern part of Florida.
So unless you live in this area or close by it’s unlikely that the white bird stealing fish from your backyard pond is actually a great white heron. It may be a great egret though since these two species do look similar. The great white heron also inhabits the Caribbean islands along with the Yucatan peninsula in southeastern Mexico.
Temporarily White
There is another heron species that can be all-white although it is only white temporarily. The little blue heron has all-white plumage for around the first year of its life. When it gets older, its color changes to blue. This is believed to help the younger birds’ ability to find food.
It allows them to forage alongside snowy egrets and other herons which typically tend to chase away the older darker colored herons. And because their color allows them to be accepted into these larger flocks it also provides them with the relative safety of the group as well.
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