About 75 species of long-legged, long-necked wading birds of fresh water and coasts, including the egrets and bitterns. They fly with the neck pulled back, unlike storks and cranes.
Quick answers
What is it?Bird
Carnivore?Yes
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inWorldwide
HabitatWetland, Rivers & lakes, Coast
ColoursGrey, White, Black
SizeLarge
Length84–102 cm (grey heron)
Legs2
Covered inFeathers
Lives alone
Lives for15–25 years
Can fly
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Every continent except Antarctica.
Did you know
Some herons drop bait on the water and wait for fish to come to it.
Herons have “powder down”, special feathers that crumble into a powder they use to clean off fish slime.
Often confused with
- Crane
A heron flies with its neck pulled back into an S; a crane flies with its neck stretched out.
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