Great Blue/Cocoi Heron vs Variable Bluet

Ardea herodias compared with Coenagrion pulchellum

Key Differences

• Great Blue/Cocoi Heron is Least Concern while Variable Bluet is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Great Blue/Cocoi Heron	Variable Bluet
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Pelecaniformes (Pelecaniformes)	Odonata (Odonata)
Family	Ardeidae	Coenagrionidae
Genus	Ardea	Coenagrion
Species	Ardea herodias	Coenagrion pulchellum

Evolutionary Relationship

Great Blue/Cocoi Heron and Variable Bluet share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Great Blue/Cocoi Heron

LC — Least Concern

Variable Bluet

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Great Blue/Cocoi Heron	Variable Bluet
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).

Variable Bluet

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

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

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.

Variable Bluet

Variable Bluet (Coenagrion pulchellum) is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List. At high risk of extinction in the wild, with significant population decline and ongoing threats to survival.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway