Nests are placed in crotches of sycamore, cottonwood, elm, hackberry, oak, and walnut, from 30 to 60 feet high; the average height is about 40 feet.

Table 10.—Occurrence in Time of Summer Resident Herons in Kansas

SpeciesArrivalDeparture
RangeMedianRangeMedian
Great Blue HeronFeb. 4-Apr. 8Mar. 20Oct. 10-Nov. 29Oct. 23
Green HeronMar. 29-May 4Apr. 27Sept. 1-Oct. 30Sept. 9
Common EgretApr. 8-May 12Apr. 2Sept. 4-Sept. 30Sept. 21
Black-crowned Night HeronMar. 27-May 18Apr. 25Sept. 10-Nov. 11Sept. 25
Yellow-crowned Night HeronApr. 15-May 18Apr. 27................
American BitternApr. 4-May 9May 1Oct. 6-Dec. 12Oct. 16
Least BitternApr. 9-May 22Apr. 8Oct. 24........

Green Heron: Butorides virescens virescens (Linnaeus).—This is a common summer resident about streams, lakes, and marshes throughout the State. Some characteristics of the temporal occurrence of this species are indicated in [Table 10].

Breeding schedule.—Twenty-eight records of breeding span the period April 21 to June 20 ([Fig. 3]); the modal date of completion of clutches is May 5.

Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 3 eggs (3.1, 3-5; 17).

Nests are placed about 10 feet high (two to 35 feet) in willow, cottonwood, elm, and the like.

Little Blue Heron: Florida caerulea caerulea (Linnaeus).—This is chiefly a postbreeding summer visitant, but there is one record of breeding in Finney County (Tordoff, 1956:312).

Breeding schedule.—There is no information on breeding schedule in Kansas or in adjacent areas.

Number of eggs.—Clutch-size is 2 to 4 eggs (Davie, 1898).