In this quick tutorial you'll learn how to draw a Great Blue Heron in 9 easy steps - great for kids and novice artists.
The images above represent how your finished drawing is going to look and the steps involved.
Below are the individual steps - you can click on each one for a High Resolution printable PDF version.
At the bottom you can read some interesting facts about the Great Blue Heron.
Make sure you also check out any of the hundreds of drawing tutorials grouped by category.
How to Draw a Great Blue Heron - Step-by-Step Tutorial
Step 1: To start, draw a curved shape for the top of the head with a point sticking out for the beak.
Step 2: Now add a line for the mouth and a small dot for the eye. Color in the dot to make it black.
Step 3: Next, draw two 'S' shapes for the neck, which is pretty long. As a matter of fact, the Great Blue Heron swallows their food whole and will choke if they're not careful!
Step 4: For the body, draw two curved lines away from each other and leave a space open at the bottom for the legs. The top line should have a bump at the top to make the shape of the wing.
Step 5: Now to draw the legs, make two long lines that widen at the very bottom to make the feet.
Step 6: Add the second leg behind the first, and make sure to make those toes long!
Step 7: For the tail, draw a round cone shape with a little bump just behind the back leg.
Step 8: Now for the wing, draw another round cone shape, but make little small bumps on the lower side for feathers.
Step 9: Use straight lines to add the feather pattern on the wing, body and a few on the head. You can use Dark blue for the Heron, and yellow for the beak.
Interesting Facts about Great Blue Herons
The Great Blue Heron is a big water bird that lives near large bodies of water. It doesn’t matter if it is salt water or fresh water; the Great Blue Heron just loves water. They live all over North America and the top of South America. Herons are 60 centimeters tall and 97 to 137 centimeters long. They are the largest Heron in North America. They have really long necks and long pointed beaks. Their feathers are grey and they have black, white, and red brown streaks on their bodies. Great Blue Herons like to eat fish, but they will settle for crabs, shrimp, insects, mice, rats, and other small animals. A Heron wades out into shallow water and patiently waits for food to come by. When it sees a chance, it quickly spears the animal. Dinner is served.
Did you know?
- Herons swallow their prey whole. If they aren’t careful they’ll choke on it.
- Females lay 2-7 eggs.
- Great Blue Herons are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
- There are five subspecies (subspecies are birds found in different areas): The Pacific Northwest, Southern Alaska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Florida, Caribbean Islands, and the Galapagos Islands.
- Great Blue Herons can live for 15 years.
Activity: The Great Blue Heron is a common bird seen in artwork. Inspire your children with coloring sheets. Let them make their own Great Blue Heron work of art.
How to Draw a Great Blue Heron – Step-By-Step Tutorial