Missouri · Year-round resident

Great Blue Herons in Missouri

When great blue herons are present in Missouri, when they nest, which native Missouri plants feed them, and how to host them in a USDA 5b–7b yard.

Herons and egrets (Ardeidae)Great Blue HeronArdea herodias

Status in Missouri: Year-round resident
Nesting window: February–June
Broods: 1 per season
Hardiness zones: USDA 5b–7b

When to expect great blue herons in Missouri

Great Blue Herons live in Missouri all year. Cold winters with variable snow; ice storms can shut down natural food for days. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them.

Humid continental, from the Ozark Plateau in the south to prairie and river floodplains in the north.

Nesting in Missouri

Across Missouri, great blue herons typically nest from February–June. Plan around that window: January for setup, June for clean-out.

Hot, humid summers.

Great Blue Herons don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as flowering dogwood, serviceberry, white oak for nest sites.
Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after June.

Native Missouri plants that attract great blue herons

Of the regional native plants we track for Missouri, these 8 provide food or cover great blue herons use:

Flowering dogwood

Cornus florida · Tree

Fat-rich red fall fruit taken by thrushes, bluebirds and woodpeckers.

Serviceberry

Amelanchier arborea · Tree

Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed.

White oak

Quercus alba · Tree

Acorns plus hundreds of caterpillar species for nestling food.

Bur oak

Quercus macrocarpa · Tree

Drought-hardy prairie oak with large acorns and a heavy insect load.

Black cherry

Prunus serotina · Tree

Summer fruit and one of the top caterpillar host trees.

American elderberry

Sambucus canadensis · Shrub

Late-summer berry clusters taken by over 40 bird species.

Spicebush

Lindera benzoin · Shrub

Lipid-rich red fruit fuels fall migrants.

New England aster

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae · Perennial

Late nectar for insects and fall seed for sparrows.

Feeding great blue herons through the Missouri year

Top foods: None — visits ponds with fish.
In Missouri's winter: Cold winters with variable snow; ice storms can shut down natural food for days.

Full diet breakdown for great blue herons · Best feeder for great blue herons

Frequently asked

Are great blue herons in Missouri year-round?

Yes. Great Blue Herons are year-round residents in Missouri.

When do great blue herons nest in Missouri?

Nesting in Missouri typically runs February–June, with 1 per season. Clutches are 2–7 eggs, incubated for 25–30 days.

What native plants attract great blue herons in Missouri?

Flowering dogwood, Serviceberry, White oak, Bur oak, Black cherry, American elderberry, Spicebush, New England aster are native plants in Missouri that provide food or cover for great blue herons.

Other backyard birds in Missouri

Northern Cardinal Eastern Bluebird Black-capped Chickadee Carolina Chickadee Purple Martin Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker American Goldfinch Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch House Wren Blue Jay House Finch Purple Finch Ruby-throated Hummingbird Carolina Wren Mourning Dove American Robin Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Red-bellied Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Red-headed Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Common Grackle Red-winged Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Orchard Oriole Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pine Siskin Indigo Bunting Eastern Towhee Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher Cedar Waxwing Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Eastern Phoebe Chimney Swift Yellow-rumped Warbler Eastern Screech-Owl Wood Thrush Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird American Tree Sparrow House Sparrow European Starling White-crowned Sparrow Fox Sparrow Eurasian Collared-Dove American Crow Cooper's Hawk Sharp-shinned Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Barred Owl Great Horned Owl American Kestrel Wood Duck Wild Turkey Northern Bobwhite Mallard Belted Kingfisher Scarlet Tanager Eastern Meadowlark Brown-headed Cowbird Golden-crowned Kinglet Winter Wren Pine Grosbeak Red Crossbill Field Sparrow Gray Catbird Lark Sparrow Hooded Merganser Yellow Warbler Common Yellowthroat American Redstart Black-and-white Warbler Yellow-throated Warbler Prothonotary Warbler Ovenbird Yellow-breasted Chat Red-eyed Vireo Warbling Vireo White-eyed Vireo Eastern Wood-Pewee Least Flycatcher Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Cliff Swallow Northern Rough-winged Swallow Bank Swallow Common Nighthawk Eastern Whip-poor-will Canada Goose American Coot Killdeer Spotted Sandpiper American Woodcock Green Heron Great Egret Black-crowned Night Heron Turkey Vulture Black Vulture Osprey Bald Eagle Red-shouldered Hawk Merlin Peregrine Falcon Northern Saw-whet Owl Barn Owl Savannah Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Harris's Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Snow Bunting Lapland Longspur Horned Lark Dickcissel Blue Grosbeak Hoary Redpoll White-winged Crossbill Bohemian Waxwing Greater Roadrunner Yellow-billed Cuckoo Bobolink Yellow-headed Blackbird Brewer's Blackbird Great-tailed Grackle Rock Pigeon Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Sources

Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.