Bitterns, Egrets & Herons family Ardeidae
Wetland
Large | Extra Large
Forest preserve hotspots hotspots •
Cuba Marsh (Deer Park)
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Des Plaines River Trail
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Middlefork Savanna (Lake Forest)
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Nippersink (Round Lake)
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Rollins Savanna (Grayslake) American bittern
Botaurus lentiginosus
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Black-crowned night heron Nycticorax nycticorax
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Great blue heron Ardea herodias
Great egret Ardea alba
Green heron
Butorides virescens
Least bittern Botaurus exilis
Great egret
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Species Showcase Great blue heron
With sleek, blue-gray feathers, a tall frame and a 6-foot wingspan, the great blue heron is a towering sight around Lake County’s waterways. These longlegged wading birds fly with slow, graceful flaps and their necks tucked into an S-shape. Look for them perched in trees over water or stalking fish, amphibians and reptiles in shallow wetlands. Using sticks and twigs, herons build nests near the tops of trees up to 100 feet off the ground. On average, they raise 3–5 chicks per breeding season. Herons commonly nest in colonies.
Vulture family Cathartidae Turkey vulture
Woodland
Forest preserve hotspots hotspots •
Fort Sheridan (Lake Forest)
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Grant Woods (Ingleside)
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Ryerson Conservation Area (Riverwoods) Turkey vulture
16
Extra Large
Cathartes aura