Name: Great blue heron
Species: Ardea herodias
Popular and common variants / subspecies / other names: Great white heron, bitterns, spoonbills
Geographic distribution: Heron species are found worldwide except for Antarctica. Many species are migratory. The great blue heron, the most common species in North America, is found in southeast Canada, all of the United States, and Central America. The great white heron, the white equivalent of the great blue, is found in southern Florida, the Caribbean, and the Yucatan.
Environment: The great blue heron is mainly found in coastal areas and by inland lakes.
Physical description: The heron is a large, thin bird with a long, narrow neck that can be pulled back into an S shape. The legs are delicate with four-toed feet, three pointing forward and one back. Herons look similar to egrets, but are bigger. The great blue heron measures approximately 46 inches long, has a wingspan of about 70 inches, and weighs roughly 5 pounds.
Interesting facts: The heron uses its feet to stir up mud to uncover various mud dwellers to eat, or it uses its feet as lures to attract fish. It also hunts by standing motionless in the water, watching for movement under the surface, before striking with its long, thin beak. The heron is carnivorous. Male and female herons are similar in appearance, and share parenting duties. Their courtship and mating are leisurely and relaxed, unlike that of many other birds, and herons often nest in colonies. The collective noun for a group of herons is a “siege.”
Myths, folklore, and cultural associations: One of the folk names for the heron is “henshaw.” When Hamlet said he could still tell a hawk from a handsaw (a corruption of “henshaw”), he meant he could distinguish between a hawk and a heron, two birds that were said to be enemies.
Indian folklore says that a heron landing on your house is a sign of good fortune.
One of Aesop’s fables tells of a heron that strolled next to a river in shadow, watching for food. It passed up several small fish, and ended up going hungry when the sun slowly shifted, and the fish moved to cooler water, out of the heron’s reach. The moral indicates that waiting for something better may put you in a position where you end up with nothing.
(See also Egret, Ibis, and Stork.)
Omens and divinatory meaning: Seeing a heron can be a message to be patient and to choose the correct moment. Stand, watch, and ambush when your moment arrives. On the other hand, waiting too long, like the heron in Aesop’s fable, means you can miss your opportunity.
The heron wades through water, stirring up silt and mud to find food. Sometimes you have to stir up some dirt in order to get information to rise. The heron may also be telling you to do some legwork in order to turn something up. Things don’t just come your way; you need to get out there and put in the basic effort to lay the groundwork for future success.
Associated energies: Patience, self-reliance, observation, focus, concentration
Associated season: Summer
Element associations: Air, water
Color associations: Grey, white, blue, black, brown