New research presented at the 2014 Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference shows that some of the greatest dangers to Puget Sound marine life come from our common, everyday activities. These pervasive sources of pollution are so woven into our lives that they are almost invisible to us, but it’s becoming impossible to ignore their effects.

Stormwater flowing into catch basin carries contaminants to our waterways. Photo: Ben McLeod (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) https://www.flickr.com/photos/benmcleod/420158390

Marine birds

April 01, 2011

More than 70 bird species regularly utilize Puget Sound during some or all stages of their life histories, but only a portion of these are actively being investigated.

Brandt's cormorant (Phalacrocorax penicillatus). Photo by Finley and Bohlman, courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Classification

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Craniata

Class

Aves

Order

Ciconiiformes

Family

Ardeidae

Genus

Ardea

NatureServe

Source:
ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.100203

Classification

Other Global Common Names

Garza Morena - grand héron

Informal Taxonomy

<p>Animals, Vertebrates - Birds - Wading Birds</p>

Formal Taxonomy

Animalia - Craniata - Aves - Ciconiiformes - Ardeidae - Ardea - Includes great white heron, formerly considered a distinct species, A. OCCIDENTALIS. Some authors consider A. HERODIAS, A. CINEREA, and A. COCOI conspecific (AOU 1983); the three constitute a superspecies (Butler 1992).

Ecology and Life History

Short General Description

A wading bird (heron).

Migration

<p>true - true - true - Migrates to northern breeding range February-early May; departs northerly localities September-October. Disperses in all compass directions after breeding, before southward migration. Southern populations may be quite sedentary. Present in small numbers in Colombia mainly October to mid-April, in Panama mainly September-April (Ridgely and Gwynne 1989, Hilty and Brown 1986).</p>

Non-migrant

true

Locally Migrant

true

Food Comments

Eats fishes, insects, crustaceans, amphibians and reptiles, mice and shrews, and other animals. Forages mostly while standing in water but also in fields; sometimes drops from air or perch into water (Palmer 1962, Terres 1980).

Reproduction Comments

Clutch size is 3-7, averages larger in north than in south. Incubation, by both sexes, lasts 25-29 days. Both parents tend young, which leave nest in 60-90 days. May breed at 2 years. Nests usually in colonies, a few pairs to 100s; sometimes solitary. Fledging success depends importantly on success of parents in providing sufficient food when nestlings are 2-6 weeks old (Bennett et al. 1995, Auk 112:201-209).

Ecology Comments

Nonbreeding: usually solitary. May establish feeding territories in winter (Stiles and Skutch 1989).

Length

117

Weight

2576

Conservation Status

NatureServe Global Status Rank

Global Status Last Reviewed

1996-11-20

Global Status Last Changed

1996-11-20

Distribution

Conservation Status Map

Global Range

H - >2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles) - H - BREEDING: southeastern Alaska and southern Canada to southern Mexico, Greater Antilles, Virgin Islands (St. Thomas and Anegada), islands off coastal Venezuela, and on Galapagos. NON-BREEDING: southeastern Alaska, central U.S., and southern New England south to northern South America (mainly to northern Colombia, northern Venezuela). In the U.S. in winter, the highest densities occur along the lower Colorado River, around the Great Salt Lake, and near Aransas National Wildlife Refuge on the Texas coast (Root 1988). Wanders widely outside usual range, a few times to Hawaii. Some subadults may spend summer in nonbreeding range.

Global Range Code

Global Range Description

>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)

ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.100203