RUTHLESS Moments of the Great Blue Heron Hunting and Impaling its Prey Pet Spot
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00:00 (birds chirping)
00:02 The great blue heron truly deserves its name.
00:10 This long-legged bird is an excellent hunter
00:13 thanks to its amazing patience and stillness.
00:16 These birds can hunt on both land and sea
00:19 with its skill adapting to the environment it's in.
00:22 So what makes the great blue heron's hunting skills
00:25 so incredible and how successful are their hunts?
00:29 (birds chirping)
00:32 Stick around to find out all of this and more
00:39 because today we're gonna be taking a look
00:41 at some incredible moments of the great blue heron
00:44 hunting and catching its prey.
00:45 (birds chirping)
00:50 Right off the bat, you may be asking,
00:55 what makes this heron so great?
00:57 Well, for starters, they're quite a large bird.
01:00 The great blue heron can reach a standing height
01:02 of around 137 centimeters or about four and a half feet.
01:06 Their wingspans can reach up to 201 centimeters in length,
01:10 which is about six and a half feet.
01:12 And their weight, these birds can weigh up
01:14 to three and a half kilograms or nearly eight pounds.
01:18 Their size alone can be seen as mighty
01:21 and that's just appearance.
01:23 Now, let's take a look at our first clip.
01:26 In it, you can see how the great blue heron
01:28 wades in the shallow waters, staying still
01:31 as it waits for its prey to appear.
01:33 It stands for a bit of time,
01:34 then suddenly the great blue heron spots something
01:37 just under the surface of the water.
01:39 It extends its neck and waits a bit more.
01:42 And then in the blink of an eye,
01:44 it launches its beak downwards
01:46 and submerges its entire head under the water.
01:49 It comes back up almost immediately.
01:52 This great blue heron might have caught something smaller
01:55 as it swallows it on its way out of the water,
01:57 shaking its head vigorously without any visible sign
02:00 of an animal sticking out of its beak.
02:02 This was a quick catch, but we've only scratched the surface
02:06 when it comes to the skills of the great blue heron.
02:08 A great blue heron's diet is not strict by any means.
02:12 These predatory birds will eat just about anything
02:15 within striking distance.
02:16 A great blue heron will typically eat fish
02:19 for their go-to meal, but they can also be stalking
02:22 a wide range of other prey, such as insects
02:25 and small mammals.
02:26 Great blue herons love to hunt and catch gophers
02:30 while they're on land, giving range not only to their diet,
02:33 but also their hunting skills.
02:35 The advantage of liking surf and turf.
02:38 Now, let's take a look at this next clip.
02:40 Here, you'll see yet another great blue heron
02:43 preparing for its next meal.
02:44 This time, it's taking place on land.
02:47 This bird walks slowly across the grass,
02:50 its long legs taking extremely careful steps.
02:52 It slowly stalks a gopher, making sure to be extra careful
02:56 as to not alert the gopher and send it running away.
02:59 The great blue heron finds the perfect distance
03:02 and stands in place.
03:04 It then leans forward ever so slowly,
03:07 keeping its gaze locked on the delicious target.
03:10 It takes one quick strike at the gopher and succeeds.
03:13 Watch as more of the great blue herons in this clip
03:16 succeed in their hunts for gophers as well.
03:19 The movements these birds make are not only majestic,
03:22 but also carefully calculated.
03:24 Great blue herons are well known
03:26 for their incredible ability to fish.
03:29 These fishermen will hang around shorelines
03:31 and shallow marshes, waiting patiently for their prey.
03:34 When they aren't standing still, stalking their prey,
03:37 they can be seen wading through these waters,
03:39 inspecting the hunting spot.
03:41 While on land, the process is similar.
03:44 If needed, a great blue heron may pick at a patch of grass
03:48 in order to reach the prey that they're going for.
03:51 Now watch this next clip right here.
03:53 You'll see a great blue heron
03:54 hunting in a bright green field of grass.
03:57 This great blue heron spots a gopher
04:00 burrowed under a bit of grass and dirt.
04:02 It slowly approaches the hole to where the gopher is
04:05 and stops before it can get too close.
04:08 The great blue heron demonstrates here in this clip
04:10 just how still it can stand.
04:12 It barely moves an inch
04:13 as it waits for the perfect moment to strike.
04:16 Then when the time is right, it lunges forward.
04:19 This gopher appears to be a bit stuck in the ground,
04:21 but after shaking and tugging at it,
04:23 the great blue heron is able to yank the gopher
04:26 right out of the safety of its own home.
04:28 The effort was worth it.
04:29 And now this great blue heron
04:31 gets to enjoy the fruits of its labor.
04:34 The process of the great blue heron catching their prey
04:36 is an incredible one to watch.
04:38 These birds have mastered the skill of patience
04:41 and will wait as long as they need
04:43 in order to catch their prey.
04:45 When a great blue heron spots their next meal
04:47 in a close enough proximity,
04:48 they'll extend their necks and then freeze.
04:51 They stay so still,
04:53 they look like photographs frozen in time.
04:55 When they feel ready to strike,
04:57 they'll attack their prey with one swift jab
04:59 using their blade-like beak to do the trick.
05:02 Let's now take a look at another clip.
05:05 In this one, we see a great blue heron
05:07 standing in the water.
05:08 This time, the water seems to be a bit deeper
05:11 as it nearly reaches the body of this tall bird.
05:14 The great blue heron seems to be just casually hunting
05:16 as it continues to look around
05:18 and not focus on what's happening
05:20 under the surface of the water.
05:22 But this great hunter proves to us
05:24 that it is so good at what it does,
05:26 it can do it without much effort.
05:28 This great blue heron looks around
05:30 and suddenly realizes there's some food waiting to be caught.
05:33 So it leans forward, getting closer to the water,
05:36 and quickly strikes under the surface.
05:38 It comes back up with a small fish,
05:40 shaking it around until it stops moving.
05:42 Then it tosses its head back
05:44 and sends the slimy little fish down its long throat.
05:47 What an easy snack.
05:49 Now, you may be wondering where the great blue heron is from.
05:52 These wonderful birds are found
05:54 in almost any wetland habitat in North America.
05:57 Rarely will you see a great blue heron far from water
06:00 as their survival nearly strictly relies
06:02 on their proximity to water.
06:04 The great blue heron's close relative, the gray heron,
06:07 has adapted to living in cities
06:09 where there may be more space,
06:10 but the great blue herons have yet to make a similar,
06:13 albeit adventurous, move.
06:15 Now, check out this next clip.
06:17 Here, we see another great blue heron
06:20 set out on a determined hunt on land.
06:22 This one is stalking a mouse that it's seen in the grass.
06:26 The great blue heron walks slowly
06:28 over to the taller grassy area.
06:30 It walks so that it's just close enough
06:32 to reach the mouse without scaring it away.
06:35 It watches with its large circular eyes
06:37 as it figures out a game plan
06:39 that'll lead to another successful hunt.
06:42 This great blue heron takes a couple more steps forward,
06:45 but it incredibly keeps its head and neck still
06:48 so as to not create disturbance
06:50 while getting closer at the same time.
06:52 When the time is right,
06:53 it strikes the mouse with its killer beak
06:56 and comes right back up with the lifeless mouse
06:58 in between its beak.
06:59 The name for a group of these great blue herons
07:02 is heronries.
07:03 The name may not be catchy,
07:05 but it gives you all the information you need.
07:07 It's a colony of herons.
07:10 Heronries will keep their nests mostly in trees
07:13 near the water, although they may sometimes nest
07:15 on the ground near the water.
07:17 A heronry can have anywhere from five to 500 nests
07:21 in their colony, and these nests can be 100
07:24 or more feet above the ground.
07:26 Now, let's check out another incredible clip.
07:29 In this one, we get to see another example
07:31 of the incredible stillness and patience
07:33 of the great blue heron.
07:35 This one stands extremely still
07:37 as a gopher peeks out of the dirt,
07:39 looking around and inspecting the area.
07:42 It must not realize that the great blue heron is a danger
07:45 since it's standing as still as a statue.
07:48 This works incredibly well as the gopher ignores
07:51 the great blue heron and allows it to go through
07:53 with its plan.
07:54 The great blue heron then shoves its pointy beak
07:57 into a mound of dirt where the gopher has moved onto.
08:00 It plucks it right out of the dirt
08:02 with seemingly no effort.
08:04 It carries the gopher away to enjoy this fresh
08:06 and meaty meal.
08:08 This meal was definitely well-deserved
08:10 after the incredible efforts of this great blue heron.
08:13 You may be familiar with the oily exterior
08:15 of the feathers of certain aquatic birds,
08:17 but the great blue heron has a special way
08:19 of keeping their feathers clean and pristine.
08:22 These birds have specialized feathers on their chest
08:25 that'll continuously grow throughout their life.
08:28 As the feathers grow, they begin to fray at the ends
08:31 and eventually end up as a powder.
08:33 This powder is then used to help clean off
08:35 all the slimy remains of the fish they eat.
08:38 An interesting little built-in bird bath.
08:40 Now, onto the next clip in this list.
08:43 Here, we see a great blue heron get ready
08:45 for another catch on land.
08:47 This one goes by fast, so make sure to keep a close eye
08:49 on what's happening here.
08:51 This great blue heron takes a few steps
08:53 towards a hole in the ground where a gopher is hiding out.
08:56 It moves slowly and remains close.
08:58 It then lunges right at the hole with amazing precision
09:01 and pulls the surprise gopher right out of the ground,
09:04 tossing grass and dirt around the area.
09:06 The great blue heron then moves over a bit
09:08 with the gopher still hanging out of its beak.
09:10 It tosses it around and readjusts it
09:12 before popping it right into his beak headfirst.
09:15 The bit of a struggle to get it in shows us
09:18 that the bottom part of this great blue heron's beak
09:20 was in fact impaled into the gopher.
09:23 After getting the dead gopher body into its mouth,
09:26 it swallows it, leaving a noticeable lump
09:28 in its long throat.
09:29 The great blue heron's appearance is beautiful,
09:33 but it may not be recognized as particularly stunning.
09:36 But when their breeding season rolls around,
09:38 these birds begin to change.
09:40 During this time, the lower of the great blue heron,
09:43 the area on either side of its face,
09:45 from the base of its bill to the front of its eyes,
09:47 turns a bright blue while their iris
09:50 will turn a reddish color,
09:52 and their yellow bill becomes an orange hue.
09:55 These attractive shifts in color
09:57 help them to find mates easily.
09:59 Now, let's take a look at this next clip.
10:02 Here, a great blue heron takes a bit of a different approach
10:05 to its hunt for a gopher.
10:07 This great blue heron spots a mound
10:09 where a gopher is burrowing under the dirt
10:12 and walks up to it.
10:13 Instead of stalking,
10:14 the great blue heron needs to dig for its meal.
10:17 There's no need to stalk since the gopher is unable
10:20 to see the great blue heron underneath all of that dirt.
10:23 The great blue heron sticks its beak
10:25 into this mound of dirt and digs around a bit.
10:28 It finds the spot where the gopher is in and pulls it out.
10:32 It needs to wiggle it a bit first.
10:34 Having to lift this plump meal out of a makeshift hole.
10:37 Then it completes the catch
10:39 and holds the dirty gopher up in the air.
10:41 The great blue heron remains still
10:43 as the gopher panics and wriggles,
10:45 attempting to escape the strong grip
10:47 of the great blue heron's beak.
10:49 The habitats that the great blue heron thrives in
10:52 can be cool thanks to the nearby waters.
10:54 But in the summer, the heat can really kick in.
10:57 Humans produce sweat in order to cool our bodies down,
11:00 but a great blue heron has a different approach
11:03 to this process.
11:04 These birds will droop their wings
11:06 in order to allow better airflow.
11:08 It also helps to remove excess heat,
11:11 and they'll also be seen with an open beak.
11:13 Then they begin fluttering their throat muscles.
11:16 This action is called gullar fluttering
11:18 and helps to increase evaporation.
11:21 You can see this as the bird equivalent
11:23 of a dog panting when it's hot out.
11:25 Now, time to check out this next clip.
11:28 In it, a great blue heron stands
11:29 on the outer banks of a body of water.
11:32 It stays still and waits for the prey to come around.
11:35 It watches carefully.
11:36 Then suddenly, something interests this great blue heron.
11:39 It stays completely still,
11:41 then moments later, it strikes its beak into the water.
11:44 It comes back up almost instantly,
11:47 now with a small fish hanging out of its beak.
11:49 The fish flops around,
11:51 but the great blue heron simply bites down once,
11:54 and the fish stops moving.
11:56 Then the bird tosses it into its mouth
11:58 and swallows it whole.
12:00 Then it simply goes back to hunt for more prey.
12:02 The great blue heron may not be as chatty as a parrot,
12:05 but these birds have their own
12:07 specialized form of communication.
12:09 They typically let out varied croaking sounds
12:11 in order to communicate to other great blue herons
12:14 within close range.
12:15 These birds use their croaks in order to mate
12:18 and defend their territory.
12:20 Sometimes, these birds will let out a croak
12:22 out of curiosity in order to gain information
12:25 on what is currently going on
12:27 in their environment and colony.
12:29 Take a look at this next clip.
12:30 It's pretty incredible.
12:32 Here, a great blue heron is waiting in the water hunting.
12:36 It spots something and instantly goes in for the kill.
12:39 It submerges its entire head into the water.
12:42 This is gonna be quite the catch,
12:45 and you can tell by how deep
12:46 this determined great blue heron gets in the water.
12:49 When it comes back up, the effort makes sense.
12:52 This great blue heron caught quite a large meal.
12:55 This catch definitely needed to take some time.
12:58 When the great blue heron walks around
13:00 with the fish in its mouth,
13:01 you can see that the fish is not moving,
13:04 showing that the great blue heron not only caught it,
13:06 but killed it all in one go.
13:08 In certain animal species, including certain bird species,
13:12 the male and female will be physically distinguishable.
13:15 For the great blue heron,
13:17 there are no noticeable differences.
13:19 The male and female great blue heron look very similar.
13:22 These birds will mate during their breeding season
13:24 and be seen in pairs,
13:26 but they only remain a pair during one breeding season
13:29 and will pair up with another mate
13:30 during another breeding season.
13:32 While both the male and female great blue heron
13:34 share the responsibility of incubating their eggs,
13:38 they do not co-parent for long or stay together
13:41 as some other species of bird may.
13:43 Now, check out this next clip.
13:45 Here, a great blue heron is wading around
13:47 a murky body of water.
13:49 It watches a spot diligently,
13:51 having a peek around the leaves and plant matter
13:53 that litter the water.
13:55 It moves around a bit more,
13:57 acting urgently so as to not lose sight of its prey.
14:00 Then, when it gets a good look while standing in a good spot,
14:04 it stands perfectly still.
14:06 It only remains like this for a short while,
14:08 then lunges its sharp beak right into the water.
14:11 It comes up with very little effort,
14:14 shockingly carrying a huge largemouth bass fish in its beak.
14:18 This catch was incredible,
14:20 and the effortless nature
14:21 of the great blue heron's hunting skills
14:23 makes it all the more stunning.
14:25 At first glance, the great blue heron may look intimidating,
14:29 but generally these birds can remain rather calm
14:32 when they're not hunting.
14:34 When they hunt,
14:35 they are not necessarily overboard with their violence,
14:38 but the brutality may show for a split second.
14:41 One thing that'll trigger aggression in these birds
14:43 is a disturbance towards their young.
14:45 If a great blue heron's chicks are cornered
14:48 or a human comes too close,
14:49 they will fight back in order to defend their young
14:52 and keep them safe.
14:54 Now, let's check out this next clip.
14:56 In this clip, a great blue heron is in a more grassy area,
15:00 a bit further out from the water
15:01 than you may normally see them.
15:03 This great blue heron is stalking something close by.
15:06 It approaches it rather quickly,
15:08 most likely due to the urgency of the hunt.
15:11 As it gets closer, it gets more clear
15:13 as to why this great blue heron is in a hurry.
15:16 It is hunting a chipmunk.
15:18 Chipmunks can run pretty fast,
15:20 similar to how a squirrel would evade a predator.
15:23 The great blue heron makes its attack quickly,
15:25 and even as a rushed hunt, this came out to be a success.
15:29 The great blue heron holds up the chipmunk
15:31 and grips it tightly with its beak.
15:33 It takes it away to gulp it down whole.
15:35 As mentioned earlier in this video,
15:37 a great blue heron will eat just about anything nearby,
15:41 but sometimes that means catching larger animals,
15:43 such as a big fish or plump mammal.
15:46 These birds, like many other predatory birds,
15:49 prefer to devour their meals whole,
15:51 and the great blue heron often swallows their prey
15:54 without tearing it into smaller pieces first.
15:56 Because of this, not only are great blue heron chicks
15:59 at risk of choking,
16:00 but the adults are at a similar risk as well.
16:03 Now, time to check out this next clip.
16:06 In this one, we see a great blue heron up close.
16:09 This amazing view puts us up close and personal to a hunt.
16:14 The great blue heron can be seen focusing
16:16 on something on the ground close by,
16:18 and this bird stays still,
16:19 concentrating hard on its next target.
16:22 You can see just how concentrated this great blue heron is,
16:25 and right away, you can see how this pays off.
16:28 The great blue heron strikes its prey,
16:30 and we see that it pulls up the body of a gopher,
16:33 freshly dug out of the ground.
16:35 The great blue heron turns around,
16:37 still carrying the hefty animal in its beak,
16:39 before devouring it whole.
16:41 This was an incredible way to witness this bird's hunt.
16:44 The great blue heron can often be seen
16:46 wading in the shallow waters,
16:48 but are the deeper parts of a body of water off limits?
16:51 Not at all.
16:52 Sometimes, a great blue heron will hunt in these spots.
16:55 They'll hover over the surface,
16:57 and once they spot something just below the surface,
17:00 they'll drop into the water feet first,
17:02 and grab the prey as they would
17:04 in the shallow waters or on land.
17:06 It should be noted that these birds are also good swimmers,
17:09 and will sometimes calmly swim
17:11 in the deeper parts of the water.
17:13 Now, take a look at this last clip.
17:15 In this clip, a great blue heron stands
17:18 in the middle of some reeds
17:19 in the shallow banks of a body of water.
17:21 It stands still, already spotting its prey.
17:24 It stays still, watching oh so carefully,
17:27 as it waits patiently for the perfect moment to strike.
17:30 This great blue heron exhibits patience perfectly,
17:33 as it stands in the same area for quite some time.
17:36 If it doesn't wait, it may strike the wrong area
17:39 and spook its prey, causing it to lose a meal.
17:42 So, it waits, and then, finally,
17:44 it strikes quickly into the shallow waters.
17:47 It comes up with a small fish,
17:49 sticking right out of its beak.
17:50 The fish flops around,
17:52 as the great blue heron holds it tightly.
17:54 This bird continues to stay still,
17:56 and then, after a bit more time,
17:58 it tosses the fish back and bites it once,
18:01 possibly killing it as the fish stops moving.
18:03 It shoves it into its mouth without issues,
18:06 and then swallows it whole.
18:08 While you're here, go ahead and click
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