Great white heron

[David Hyde]

I'm wondering if the Great White Heron (the Florida heron) is a seperate species or a morph of the Great Blue Heron? It looks like a Great egret but has yellow legs, any info appreciated

[David Suddjian]

It is a subspecies of the Great Blue. Ardea herodias occidentalis.

David Suddjian

Littleton, CO

On Wed, Sep 17, 2025 at 12:44 PM David Hyde <davidh...@gmail.com> wrote:

I'm wondering if the Great White Heron (the Florida heron) is a seperate species or a morph of the Great Blue Heron? It looks like a Great egret but has yellow legs, any info appreciated

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[Owen Robertson]

There was an AOS proposal to split the taxon a few years ago, but it did not pass. Just mentioning to demonstrate that some in the scientific community do believe it’s a species, but we’ll see if that goes anywhere in the future!

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[David Hyde]

Thanks for clearing this up :)

[Ira Sanders]

Many years ago, like maybe 40 - 50, the Great Blue and Great White were lumped. Prior to that, they were separate. I lost a lifer on that one.

Ira Sanders

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Ira Sanders

Golden, CO

"My mind is a raging torrent flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives."