The great blue heron, or "blue crane" as it is often called, is the largest, the most widely distributed and the best known of the American herons. It is a stately bird that is usually seen standing motionless, in silent precursor to ambush. These birds are social and prefer to nest in large numbers; rookeries may contain hundreds of their bulky stick nests clustered high in tall trees. If undisturbed, young herons will remain in the nest until they are as large as their parents