great blue heron
1
4.6
- noun
- /ɡreɪt bluː ˈhɛrən/
- US
:
garza real
- Charlie stared at the Great Blue Heron and the Little Blue Heron.
- great blue herons
A video has gained attention online of a great blue Heron in Central Park eating a rat hole.
- A video has gained attention online of a great blue Heron in Central Park eating a rat hole.
Examples
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A great blue heron flew low over whitecaps that mounted and rolled, its wings flapping leisurely despite the buffeting wind.
Fiction book (1997) -
Great blue herons bully great egrets for the best positions on the fringes of a backwater.
Blog text (29) -
I want to see the Great Blue Heron.
Fiction book (1990) -
A video has gained attention online of a great blue Heron in Central Park eating a rat hole.
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Since he moved in, I haven't seen the great blue heron.
Blog text (7) -
We explained that after last year's trip, a call was made to the Arizona State Game and Fish Department, which told us that the bird was a Great Blue Heron.
Academic text (1993) -
In one afternoon of fieldwork, I observed waterfowl, elk, a bear, great blue herons, and bald eagles on her land.
Academic text (2001) -
While fishing along the river, I spotted a magnificent great blue heron standing patiently in the shallows.
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A great blue heron gracefully flew over the marsh, its long legs trailing behind as it searched for food.
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I watched as the great blue heron patiently waited for its next meal, standing still beside the water.
Synonyms
11
2.0
A large bird with long legs and neck that wades to catch fish
A large blue grey bird that stands in shallow water to catch fish
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is fully compositional: 'great' (very large) + 'blue' (color) + 'heron' (a long‑necked bird) directly describe a large blue heron. This simple adjective + adjective + noun pattern is transparent and cross‑linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily infer the referent.
Etymology
Great blue heron is a name that comes from a simple description: great for its 'large' size, blue for its 'grey-blue' feathers, and heron for the kind of bird. Picture a very big blue-grey bird with long legs standing still by the water — that clear image is why people call it a 'great blue heron' today.