Quick Answer
Great blue herons are able to swim, though they do not spend much time swimming. As wading birds, great blue herons are well adapted for walking and standing in shallow water to hunt for fish, but they have the ability to swim when needed. Their long legs and toes provide propulsion in the water.
Do Great Blue Herons Swim?
Great blue herons are classified as wading birds, which means they typically hunt for food while standing or walking slowly through shallow water. However, great blue herons are sometimes observed swimming for short distances. Here are some key points about great blue herons swimming:
- Great blue herons have the physical adaptations needed to swim, including long legs and toes.
- They sometimes swim to move between island or coastal areas.
- Swimming allows them to escape predators or disturbances on shore.
- They swim with a distinctive high lifting motion of their large feet.
- They do not swim for prolonged periods and avoid deep water.
So in short, great blue herons are capable swimmers but do not spend much of their time in the water. Their anatomy makes them much better adapted for wading than swimming.
Great Blue Heron Adaptations for Swimming
Great blue herons possess several key adaptations that allow them to swim:
- Long legs – Their legs are long in proportion to their body size, extending far past their short tail. Their legs provide powerful propulsion through the water when swimming.
- Large feet – They have large feet with long toes. When swimming, the herons paddle with a slow, deliberate motion, using the broad surface area of their feet for propulsion.
- Compact body shape – Their bodies are relatively compact and streamlined, which reduces drag in the water.
- Dense plumage – The feathers are densely packed together to help repel water.
These adaptations make great blue herons better swimmers compared to many other wading bird species. However, they still spend the vast majority of their time wading rather than swimming.
Why Great Blue Herons Swim
Great blue herons swim for several key reasons:
- Travel between areas – They sometimes swim between feeding areas or across bodies of water to reach nesting islands or shorelines.
- Escape predators – Swimming allows them to escape from predators on land by heading into deeper water.
- Disturbances on land – They may take to the water when startled or disturbed while on the shore.
- Energizing cold water – Some observations indicate herons swim to energize themselves in cold water during winter.
- Finding new feeding spots – By swimming to new areas, they can look for fish and amphibians.
Swimming helps great blue herons survive and exploit resources in their wetland habitat. But their adaptations make them far better suited as waders.
How Great Blue Herons Swim
When swimming, great blue herons display a very distinctive motion:
- They start from a standing position, then launch themselves forward with both feet.
- Their long legs propel them forward as both feet paddle in unison.
- Between strokes, they glide forward briefly with their feet lifted up behind.
- Their slender neck is bent in an S-shaped curve during the glide motion.
- They repeat the paddling motion while moving at a steady, slow pace.
Great blue herons swim with their heads tilted upward to avoid water contact on their faces. Their swimming style is less efficient than diving water birds. They rely on their webbed feet for propulsion rather than wings or underwater kicking. Still, it allows them to cover dozens or sometimes even hundreds of meters when needed.
How Often and How Far Do They Swim?
Great blue herons do not swim frequently. Their legs and feet are much better adapted for wading, so they tend to spend most of their time feeding in shallow wetlands. Specific details on how often they swim include:
- One study found herons swam only 1% of the time over a full year.
- Another study saw herons swim on average once every 2 days when monitored.
- They may never swim for some birds living entirely inland away from coasts.
- Coastal populations swim more often to travel between land areas.
When great blue herons do swim, they usually cover fairly short distances up to 100-200 meters (330-650 feet). Some observations have recorded them swimming up to 500 meters (0.3 miles), but this is unusual. In general, herons avoid swimming long distances or across open water.
Percentage of Time Spent Swimming by Great Blue Herons
Activity | Percentage of Time |
---|---|
Standing/Wading | 83% |
Walking | 15% |
Flying | 1% |
Swimming | 1% |
This table summarizes the typical percentage of time great blue herons spend engaged in different activities over an entire year. As shown, swimming represents a very small portion of their overall behavior.
Do Great Blue Herons Dive Underwater When Swimming?
Great blue herons do not dive underwater when swimming. Their feathers are not waterproof and become waterlogged if they submerge. Other details:
- They swim with their neck held above the waterline.
- Sometimes just their head and neck are above water when swimming.
- Their feathers soak up water and become heavy if submerged.
- This makes diving difficult and potentially dangerous for them.
- They avoid putting their head underwater and rely on surface feeding.
The heron’s lightweight plumage is adapted for surface swimming only. Diving capabilities would hinder their ability to fly. So they never intentionally submerge when swimming and feed by spearing prey from the water’s surface.
Do Great Blue Heron Chicks Swim?
Great blue heron chicks do not swim well. Details on swimming in young herons include:
- Chicks have fluffy down feathers without water resistance.
- They cannot dive or swim underwater when very young.
- Older fledglings may paddle or flutter across water if needed.
- But they do not swim skillfully and avoid the water.
- Swimming ability develops slowly after they learn to fly.
Heron parents may carry small chicks to safety if a nest is flooded. Once they can fly, juveniles can escape rising waters more easily. But coordinated swimming doesn’t emerge until later.
Why Don’t Great Blue Herons Dive for Fish Underwater?
There are several important reasons why great blue herons do not dive underwater to catch fish:
- Their feathers absorb water and become waterlogged, making underwater swimming difficult.
- Takeoff from the water surface would be impossible with soaked plumage.
- Their eyes are adapted for aerial spotting, not underwater vision.
- Their spear-like bill is designed for striking downwards, not forwards.
- They lack propulsion power from their feet to chase speedy fish underwater.
- Their long neck makes fast direction changes underwater difficult.
Great blue herons lack the adaptations seen in diving birds like loons and cormorants. For them, diving after prey is inefficient and potentially dangerous. Their skills are optimized for standing motionless and spearing fish from above.
Comparison to Other Heron Species
Great blue herons have better swimming adaptations than some other herons and egrets:
- Great egrets swim infrequently, for short distances only.
- Cattle egrets rarely swim and avoid water.
- Green herons have short legs and swim mainly just to change perches.
- Tricolored herons are poor swimmers due to small feet and short legs.
But compared to truly aquatic herons, great blue herons are not specialized swimmers:
- Boat-billed herons swim more frequently with partially webbed feet.
- Agami herons are agile swimmers with laterally flattened toes.
- Yellow-crowned night herons swim well thanks to partially webbed toes.
So while great blue herons exceed some species, their wading adaptations limit them compared to heron types that are semiaquatic.
Conclusion
In summary, great blue herons are able to swim and do so periodically for feeding, traveling, escaping danger, or reaching new habitat. However, extended swimming is rare, and they lack adaptations for diving underwater. Wading from shallow waters allows them to hunt fish much more effectively. So while herons have some modest swimming abilities, their skills and preferences are overwhelmingly tuned for a wading lifestyle. Careful observations may occasionally capture them paddling across a pond or inlet – evidence that great blue herons can swim when they need to, even if they don’t do it very often.