Great Blue/Cocoi Heron vs Ray

Ardea herodias compared with Atlantoraja castelnaui

Key Differences

• Great Blue/Cocoi Heron is Least Concern while Ray is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Great Blue/Cocoi Heron	Ray
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Elasmobranchii
Order	Pelecaniformes (Pelecaniformes)	Rajiformes (Rajiformes)
Family	Ardeidae	Arhynchobatidae
Genus	Ardea	Atlantoraja
Species	Ardea herodias	Atlantoraja castelnaui

Evolutionary Relationship

Great Blue/Cocoi Heron and Ray share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Great Blue/Cocoi Heron

LC — Least Concern

Ray

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic 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).

Ray

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.