Great blue herons can be found in the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. During the spring and summer, they breed throughout North and Central America, the Caribbean, much of Canada and the Galapogos. Some populations migrate to Central and South America during the winter months, but do not breed there.
The Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) likely evolved from a tropical dwelling ancestor but its breeding range is largely in temperate latitudes. It ranges across North America from southeast Alaska, northern Alberta, central Manitoba, and Ontario, southern Quebec and the Canadian Maritimes south through the United States to northern South America and the Galapagos Islands. It breeds from Canada to northern Mexico and on the Galapagos Islands. The heron departs for ice-free regions in winter. The Great Blue Heron is a predator in shallow water on coastlines and in freshwater regions. It is adept at locating fish that it snatches from the water with its bill. Herons will eat just about any animal it can swallow although fish are its mainstay. Small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and insects are included in the diet. The heron is adaptable in its choice of feeding site - backyard ornamental ponds and fish rearing ponds included. Nesting herons will often take to trees where they build stick nests to rear their young. Some colonies hold hundreds of individuals but many also form colonies of less than 20 pairs and individual pairs are not uncommon.