Preening Heron Ardeidae Ardea herodias Great Blue Heron St Marks National Wildlife Refuge Walkulla County Florida

Great Blue Heron – St Marks National Wildlife Refuge

 

The aging plumes of a Preening Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias give the bird a shaggy appearance. "Great Blue Herons have specialized feathers on their chest that continually grow and fray. The herons comb this ‘powder down’ with a fringed claw on their middle toes, using the down like a washcloth to remove fish slime and other oils from their feathers as they preen. Applying the powder to their underparts protects their feathers against the slime and oils of swamps."1


1 Great Blue Heron. Identification, All About Birds – Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.


camera: Nikon D3 | lens: AF Nikkor VR 400mm f/2.8G IF-ED
focal length: 400mm | exposure: f/5 – 1/2500th second – ISO 500