Midwest · Mississippi Flyway
Herons in Michigan
Herons in Michigan come down to 10 species with regular eBird records, led by the Great Blue Heron. Together they account for 340,546 of the 20 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 1.7% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, American Bittern, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Cattle Egret and Tricolored Heron. Herons, egrets, and bitterns are the long-legged wading birds that stalk fish and frogs in shallow water. The large species are conspicuous year-round in the South; farther north, most arrive in spring and leave when the water freezes.
Herons in Michigan: every species, most-reported first
Every heron with at least 25 eBird records in the state from 2020–2024, most-reported first. The status label is derived from each species’ own monthly share of all state records.
1. Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) — 192,588 records, 1.0% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
2. Great Egret (Ardea alba) — 72,412 records, 0.4% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to October and peaking in August.
3. Green Heron (Butorides virescens) — 55,874 records, 0.3% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from May to September and peaking in August.
4. Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) — 10,986 records, 0.06% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from June to September and peaking in August.
5. American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) — 5,751 records, 0.03% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to August and peaking in May.
6. Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) — 1,291 records, 0.01% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in August and September with a peak in August.
7. Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) — 573 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in April and August with a peak in August.
8. Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea) — 477 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from June to October and peaking in June.
9. Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) — 460 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in October and November with a peak in November.
10. Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor) — 134 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to July and peaking in April.
When to see herons in Michigan
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, herons are most prominent in August, July and September and least in February and January. 1 of the 10 species is year-round — Great Blue Heron — so there is no month without them.
Summer visitors. Great Egret arrives around April and is mostly gone after October (peak August); Green Heron arrives around May and is mostly gone after September (peak August); Black-crowned Night Heron arrives around June and is mostly gone after September (peak August); American Bittern arrives around April and is mostly gone after August (peak May); Yellow-crowned Night Heron arrives around June and is mostly gone after October (peak June); Tricolored Heron arrives around April and is mostly gone after July (peak April).
Passage migrants. Snowy Egret is reported mainly in August and September; Little Blue Heron is reported mainly in April and August; Cattle Egret is reported mainly in October and November.
Attracting herons to Michigan backyards
A garden pond with fish will attract the Great Blue Heron whether you want it or not. Otherwise, herons are birds of marshes, lakeshores, and estuaries — look for them at dawn and dusk when they feed most actively.
In Michigan the heron most likely to turn up is the Great Blue Heron.
Herons in Michigan: FAQ
How many species of herons are there in Michigan?
10 species of herons have regular eBird records in Michigan (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, American Bittern, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Cattle Egret and Tricolored Heron.
What is the most common heron in Michigan?
The Great Blue Heron, with 192,588 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Great Egret with 72,412. It is a year-round resident, reported in every month.
When is the best time to see herons in Michigan?
August, July and September, when the combined share of Michigan eBird records belonging to herons is highest. Summer visitors such as the Great Egret arrive around April.
More birds in Michigan
Herons in other states
Herons in Michigan: sources
Every number on this page comes from the EOD – eBird Observation Dataset published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and distributed through GBIF under a CC BY 4.0 license: Michigan records from 2020–2024, retrieved 2026-09-18. Species are drawn from the families Ardeidae; only species with at least 25 records are listed, and a species is called a year-round resident when its monthly share of state records stays above 30% of its own peak in ten or more months. “Records” are individual eBird observations, so they reflect how often birders report a species, not a population count.