Grey Heron
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Categories: Spoken articles | Least Concern species | Ardea | Herons | Birds of Asia | Birds of Africa | Birds of China | Birds of Europe | Birds of India | Birds of Kazakhstan | Birds of Lithuania | Birds of Morocco | Birds of Malaysia | Birds of Thailand | Birds of South Africa | Birds of Japan | Birds of Turkey | British Isles coastal fauna
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The Grey Heron, Ardea cinerea is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in the milder south and west, but many birds retreat in winter from the ice in colder regions. It is a large bird, standing 90-100 cm tall, with a 175-195 cm wingspan and a weight of 1-2 kg. Its plumage is largely grey above, and off-white below. Adults have a white head with a broad black supercilium and slender crest, while immatures have a dull grey head. It has a powerful pinkish-yellow bill, which is brighter in breeding adults. It has a slow flight, with its long neck retracted (S-shaped). This is characteristic of herons and bitterns, and distinguishes them from storks, cranes and spoonbills, which extend their necks. There are four subspecies:
It is closely related and similar to the American Great Blue Heron, which differs in slightly larger size, and chestnut-brown flanks and thighs. The Australian White-faced Heron is often incorrectly called Grey Heron.
BehaviourImage:Grey Heron I IMG 1041.jpg
In flight with large numbers of them with Great Egrets in the background in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
This species breeds in colonies in trees close to lakes, the sea-shore or other wetlands, although it will also nest in reed beds. It builds a bulky stick nest. It feeds in shallow water, catching fish or frogs with its long bill. Herons will also take small mammals and birds. It will often wait motionless for prey, or slowly stalk its victim. In the Netherlands, the grey heron has become a very common species in recent decades by moving into urban environments in great numbers. There, the herons hunt as they usually would but also make use of food discarded by humans, will visit feeding times in zoos to birds such as penguins and pelicans and some individuals even make use of people feeding them at their homes. All of this behaviour can be seen in the Dutch documentary Schoffies (Hoodlums). The call is a loud croaking "fraaank". References
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