Tamarack Wildlife Rehabilitation & Education Center

Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias

If you find an injured Great Blue Heron:

• If you’re not alone, have one person keep an eye on the heron. An injured heron can often move quite a distance from where it was originally seen, making it difficult to find again. The other person should call a wildlife rehabilitator for further instructions and if needed give the location of the heron.

• If you’re alone, mark the
area where you saw the bird
and call a wildlife rehabilitator. After speaking with someone from the rehabilitation center, return to the area and locate the bird again.

• If no one answers the phone at the wildlife rehabilitation center, find a box a little larger than the heron. (In a nesting position, the great blue heron is no taller than about a foot.) Poke ventilation holes in all four sides of the box. Find something flat that is larger than the base of the box. Locate the heron and place the cardboard box over the bird. Then slide the flat piece under the bird and the box. Tie or tape the two pieces together. Place one hand on top of the box and the other under the flat piece. Carry the box to your house or vehicle. If transporting the heron, put the box inside the car or truck. Never put an animal in the trunk of a car or in the open flatbed of a truck. Take the heron to the wildlife rehabilitation center.

• Never peak into the box containing a crane, loon, or heron. You are at risk of an eye injury.