Icabod
by Wild Thing
Title
Icabod
Artist
Wild Thing
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
On a dull cloudy morning, this great white heron, stood out in the swamp. So beautiful and stark against the green. He didn't seem to mind my being there. Which was nice for a change. Usually they fly off quickly at the mere sound of a human. He was content to stand quietly as I snapped away. I took so many of him I had a hard time choosing the best one!
What I found about these wonderful birds is that many think these are egrets and can only be found in Florida! These are considered a morph of the Great Blue Herons that are abundant in our area. The following is what I could find regarding these lovely white birds.
The subspecies differ only slightly in size and plumage tone, with the exception of subspecies occidentalis, which as well as normal colored birds, also has a distinct white morph, known as the great white heron (not to be confused with the great egret, for which "great white heron" was once a common name). It is found only in south Florida and some parts of the Caribbean. The great white heron differs from other great blues in bill morphology, head plume length, and in having a total lack of pigment in its plumage. It averages somewhat larger than the sympatric race Ardea herodias wardi and may be the largest race in the species. In a survey of A. h. occidentalis in Florida, males were found to average 3.02�kg (6.7�lb) and females average 2.57�kg (5.7�lb), with a range for both sexes of 2 to 3.39�kg (4.4 to 7.5�lb). This is mainly found near salt water, and was long thought to be a separate species. Birds intermediate between the normal morph and the white morph are known as W�rdemann's heron; these birds resemble a "normal" great blue with a white head.
The theory that great white heron may be a separate species (A. occidentalis) from great blue heron has again been given some support by David Sibley.
Their call is a harsh croak. The heron is most vocal during the breeding season, but will call occasionally at any time of the year in territorial disputes or if disturbed. Nonvocal sounds include a loud bill snap, which males use to attract a female or to defend a nest site and which females use in response to bachelor males or within breeding pairs. The bill snap may be analogous the territorial song of passerines. Bill clappering, the rapid chattering of the tips of the bill, is very common between paired herons.
Uploaded
November 11th, 2015
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