Herons - Are they predators?

[Ibicella]

Great Blue Herons are my favorite bird. I have pictures of them all over my house.

Yes, Great Blue Herons are highly adaptable and can eat a wide range of things, and small birds and mammals are definitely on their menu list.

Right now they are feeding chicks, so I wouldn't put it past the heron to have picked off a few of yours.

 

[Kev]

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/330499-the-early-bird-gets-the-rabbit

 

[mgw]

Quote:
maybe not at the lake but at someones small backyard pond is a different story. Even the pond supply stores around here reccomed doing this.

Not a very big lake--pretty small series of 3 lakes in a business park. They are always at the middle lake, which is the larges, has the most shade and is the best stocked. I've seen multiple egrets in small ponds.

This is just a suggestion that I have heard seems to be working for the customers that I have built ponds for. take it or leave it. Not trying to say I know anything just suggesting ideas that HAVE worked for me & customers I built ponds for.

 

[GammaPoppyLilyFlutter]

I've never heard of a heron eating another bird, but I've seen one eat a gopher.

 

[Kev]

In some nature documentary, there was a heron around a water hole in Africa that stalked doves coming in to drink. He sure caught and ate some of them. But then the turtles also caught and killed doves too.. perhaps everything is extra vicious out there.....

Check out the link above.. heron catching, killing and swallowing an entire rabbit.

They will pretty much go for anything they can catch, no reason birds should be off the menu.

 

[woodmort]

Quote:
Those aren't blue herons--I doubt if a blue could catch must less swallow a rabbit.

 

[Jeep Hound]

Putting in a heron decoy sounds like you are trying to decoy in a heron. I have seen herons hunting ground squirrels out in pastures. I am going to guess that the heron decoy keeping away other herons is just a coincidence. If there is enough food available thier personnal territory will decrease. Just my two cents, take it for what its worth.

 

[Kev]

Quote:
Those aren't blue herons--I doubt if a blue could catch must less swallow a rabbit.

Why not? If it moves, might be able to go down throat...

Video of blue heron killing/swallowing gopher.

Blue heron doing a stalk then a successful capture of a gopher.

So they really will go after and eat gophers. Both of those spent some effort to catch them. What's to stop them from trying rabbits?

As for blue heron eating birds.. they sure do:

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/31/overview/Great_Blue_Heron.aspx be sure to check out the "Behavior" tab as well as the "Species Overview" tab (tabs are near the top).

 

[SouthDakotan]

Why not? If it moves, might be able to go down throat...

Video of blue heron killing/swallowing gopher.

Blue heron doing a stalk then a successful capture of a gopher.

So they really will go after and eat gophers. Both of those spent some effort to catch them. What's to stop them from trying rabbits?

As for blue heron eating birds.. they sure do:

I think people forget that small rabbits are similar in size to gophers; at least they are in South Dakota.

This is what Wikipedia says about its diet:

"
Diet



Eating a small fish, the main prey.
The primary food for Great Blue Heron is small fish, though it is also known to opportunistically feed on a wide range of shrimp, crabs, aquatic insects, rodents and other small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and small birds."




They also stat it is an opportunistic feeder. So our small poultry definitely would be at risk.