The largest North American Heron is the Great Blue Heron, which is considered an ‘ancient’ species that evolved millions of years ago. Modern heron lineages likely go back at least around 14–25 million years.

Height: about 3–4.5 feet (0.9–1.4 m)
Wingspan: up to 6.5 feet (2 m)

A Great Blue Heron typically lives around 15 years in the wild. The oldest recorded wild great blue heron lived over 23 years.

Blue Herons are especially common around wetlands in places like New York, including the Rochester/Finger Lakes region, where they can often be seen standing motionless along shorelines.