The Great Blue Heron is one of the most recognizable birds in the Northeast, instantly identifiable as a heron by even the most lackadaisical of birders. It shows suprisingly little variation across its range, and the closely related Gray Heron of Europe also looks similar. Look for this bird when the ice clears up in the spring, until later in the fall, on the shores of rivers and ponds.
There are anywhere from four to ten different subspecies. eBird recognizes two main groupings: the blue and the white form. The white form, almost indistinguishable from the Great Egret, is generally only found in the Caribbean. The rule for this bird is that: if it looks like a Great Blue Heron, it is probably a Great Blue Heron (Blue form). (eBird also recognizes another grouping, Wurdemann's, but Birds of the World notes that this is likely a hybrid of A.h. wardi and A.h. occidentalis, and it doesn't show it on the Systematics page).
Of the nominate herodias subspecies, presumably the only bird present regularly in Vermont, Birds of the World (Vennesland and Butler 2020) says:
Adult moderately gray overall; sides of neck vinaceous-gray; chestnut on foreneck dark and extensive, reaching the lower auricular.
Pyle (1997) writes:
Medium-small; plumage aspect dark, the upperparts medium gray to blueish gray; occipital plumes lanceolate and medium long (longest 0-200mm when fully grown).
Noting any of these features will almost certainly clinch an identification. However, it is easily confused with the very rare vagrant Gray Heron. While describing this is in depth is out of scope, here, look for chestnut flanks and vinaceous-gray in the sides of the neck, cinnamon streaking in the neck, dull yellow loral skin (not bright yellow), and multicolored legs for the GBHE.
To date, there are no records of other subspecies in Vermont.
Nomenclature:
Salient identification points:
Example Records:
Local subspecies records:
Needs:
These needs reflect eBird's database, and whether the bird has photos, audio, or sightings in a given area. "None" denotes that this species has been satisfactorily documented.