**Description:** A tall, majestic wading bird with grayish-blue feathers and a long, dagger-like yellow bill.
**Size & Weight:** Stands up to 4.5 feet tall with a 6-foot wingspan. Weighs 5–6 lbs.
**Sexual Dimorphism:** Males are slightly larger than females but plumage is identical.
**Conservation:** Protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act; populations are stable.
**Habitat:** Shallow coves of the reservoir, riverbanks, and large wetlands like Buzzard Swamp.
**Behavior:** A "walk-and-wait" hunter; they nest in colonial rookeries in high treetops.