Ghost Shield vs Great Blue/Cocoi Heron

Pluteus pellitus compared with Ardea herodias

Key Differences

• Ghost Shield is Vulnerable while Great Blue/Cocoi Heron is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Ghost Shield	Great Blue/Cocoi Heron
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Pelecaniformes (Pelecaniformes)
Family	Pluteaceae	Ardeidae
Genus	Pluteus	Ardea
Species	Pluteus pellitus	Ardea herodias

Conservation Status

Ghost Shield

VU — Vulnerable

Great Blue/Cocoi Heron

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Ghost Shield	Great Blue/Cocoi Heron
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Ghost Shield

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Great Blue/Cocoi Heron

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (5 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

Great Blue/Cocoi Heron

Great Blue/Cocoi Heron (Ardea herodias) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway