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Great Blue Heron - white morph?
Ardea herodias occidentalis
39.6044, -78.0049
Field Notes
Description:
This wading bird has yellow beak, yellow legs, and yellow feet with all white plumage. The "Great White Heron" is a subspecies of the Great Blue Heron, and could be confused with Great Egret except that t is larger, with yellow legs as opposed to the Great Egret's black legs. It is the largest North American heron. It has head-to-tail length of 91–137 cm (36–54 in), a wingspan of 167–201 cm (66–79 in), a height of 115–138 cm (45–54 in), and a weight of 2.1–3.6 kg (4.6–7.9 lb).
Habitat:
This was seen nesting for the duration of the summer at a small, shallow freshwater pond which is edged on two sides by forest. Adjacent to the pond (but not connected to it) is a wide open river with nearby forest.
Notes:
According to the many birders who came into this Maryland state park specifically to view it, this is the white morph of the Great White Heron.
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