Q 01/05

A great blue heron can stand four feet tall, yet roughly how much does a typical adult weigh?

A) About 5 pounds

B) About 15 pounds

C) About 45 pounds

D) About 135 pounds

Answer · why

A) About 5 pounds

About 5 pounds, give or take one, is all a typical four-foot adult weighs, thanks in part to its hollow bones. Its wings can still span six to seven f...

Q 02/05

Great blue herons are widespread and familiar, yet people often mistakenly call them by which other bird's name?

A) Stork

B) Ibis

C) Crane

D) Flamingo

Answer · why

C) Crane

Crane is the label many people reach for, but the two belong to different families. A sandhill crane is a much bulkier bird than a great blue heron.

Q 03/05

How does a great blue heron usually carry its long neck in flight, unlike a stork or an ibis?

A) Stretched out in front

B) Tucked under a wing

C) Drooped below the body

D) Curled into an S

Answer · why

D) Curled into an S

Curled into an S, the neck rests back on the shoulders while the long legs trail behind. Specially shaped neck bones make the tight fold possible.

Q 04/05

A high share of rod-type photoreceptors in a great blue heron's eyes gives the bird which hunting advantage?

A) Night vision

B) Ultraviolet vision

C) Telescopic vision

D) Wide-angle vision

Answer · why

A) Night vision

Night vision lets great blue herons keep fishing after dark. They feed by day and by night, and are busiest around dawn and dusk.

Q 05/05

In one recorded fight, a great blue heron fatally wounded which attacking bird of prey before dying itself?

A) Great horned owl

B) Peregrine falcon

C) Golden eagle

D) Red-tailed hawk

Answer · why

C) Golden eagle

A golden eagle was mortally wounded by the heron it attacked, though the heron also died of its injuries. An adult's size and dagger-like bill make it...