Grey Heron

Grey Heron	Both Sexes Grey and white with black markings on head and neck.
Ardea cinerea
Length: 90-98 cm  (36-40")
Wing Span: 175-195 cm  (70-78")
Weight: 1500-2000 g  (3½-4½lb)
Breeding Pairs: 13 000
Present: All Year
Status: Green

Description

The Grey Heron is a tall bird with a long neck and legs, and a heavy dagger-like bill.

The upperparts are grey, but the head, neck and belly are white. The crest is black and black markings continue down the throat to the belly.

Grey Heron

Grey Heron

In flight, the outer half of the wings are black and the wing beat is very slow with the neck retracted into its shoulders and the legs are extended.

In or near water, they are often standing motionless with their head in their shoulders or feeding alone.

Juveniles are darker with much less white and lack the long crest plumes.

Voice

	Call
	Quicktime mp3

The most common call is a loud, harsh "frarnk", which is often given in flight.

Feeding

Grey Herons eat mainly fish, amphibians and small mammals, and occasionally birds.

They are solitary feeders and very patient, and will standstill for long periods stalking their prey. They will quickly empty a garden pond of fish.

Nesting

They nest in tall trees and usually with other herons to form a colony or heronry. The nest is a large platform, made from twigs and grass, and built by both male and female birds.

The duties of incubating the eggs are performed by both parents. The eggs are about 60 mm by 43 mm, and pale greenish-blue. Both adults feed the young birds.

Movements

British herons are mostly sedentary, but some do migrate to Ireland and the near-continent, such as France and Holland.

In the winter, northern European Grey Herons arrive in eastern Britain, especially along the coast.

Conservation

Illegal persecution and pollution are less of an issue today than a few years ago and the population is still increasingly slowly.

My Garden

A Grey Heron has been seen flying overhead many times over the last few years and occasionally has visited our garden or those of our neighbours, especially in the early morning. Several Magpies and Carrion Crows usually "escort" and mob the heron.