Do Great Blue Herons Migrate?

Do great blue herons migrate? This is something many people wonder about, especially if they’ve seen a heron during the cold winter months. And the answer is both yes and no. Here’s what you’ll want to know.

Great Blue Heron Range

The great blue heron has a large range. In fact, it has the largest non-breeding range of any North American heron. In the summer months, it can be found over most of North America and southern Canada.

Most Herons Migrate

The majority of great blue herons migrate during the winter months since the waters where they feed freeze over. Herons located in north-central North America, in particular, are the most likely to migrate because of the yearly freezing winter conditions.

During the winter months migrating herons fly south to warmer locations. And during this time their range extends to Mexico, the Caribbean, and into northern South America as well. Normally great blue herons migrate in September and October and may fly both during the day and at night.

While some herons fly south in small groups containing only a few birds, others will fly in groups as large as a hundred or more. Important wintering areas for great blue herons include such places as the Strait of Georgia, the Puget Sound, Great Salt Lake, Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, and the pacific coast of Mexico.

But there are many others as well. Herons will typically stay in warm southern locations until around February or March when they start a return migration back.

Some Herons Don’t Migrate

Herons that live in warm areas such as the southern United States and below are usually year-round residents. Those that live in areas where there are mild winters may not migrate either. Whether a heron migrates or not may also depend on how mild or severe the specific winter is.

If herons do stay the winter and larger bodies of water such as lakes do freeze these birds may simply change to feeding in unfrozen moving water such as rivers and streams to find food.

One of the more interesting great blue heron facts is that there are also just some individual birds that simply decide to remain in cold northern climates year-round. And because herons eat a wide range of prey which includes things such as rodents it helps to sustain them if and when the water freezes over.

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