Widespread and familiar (though often called "crane"), the largest heron in North America. Often seen standing silently along inland rivers or lake-shores, or flying high overhead, with slow wing-beats, its head hunched back onto its shoulders. Highly adaptable, it thrives around all kinds of waters from subtropical mangrove swamps to desert rivers to the coastline of southern Alaska. With its variable diet it is able to spend the winter farther north than most herons, even in areas where most waters freeze. A form in southern Florida (called "Great White Heron") is slightly larger and entirely white.

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Comportamiento de alimentación
Busca alimento principalmente de pie o caminando muy lentamente en aguas poco profundas, esperando a que los peces naden cerca, luego golpeando con un rápido empuje de pico. También se alimenta en la costa, desde objetos flotantes y en pastizales. Puede cazar de día o de noche.