Heron

This is an article about the family of birds named Herons. For other things named Heron, see Heron (disambiguation)

Herons are medium to large long-legged, long-necked wading birds of the family Ardeidae. This is one of the families in the order Ciconiiformes, which also includes other wading bird families:

Ciconiiformes

• Ardeidae herons and bitterns
• Cochlearidae: Boatbill
• Balaenicipitidae Shoebill
• Scopidae Hammerkop
• Ciconiidae: storks
• Threskiornithidae ibises and spoonbills
• Phoenicopteridae flamingos

Boatbill is sometimes classed as a heron, and sometimes given its own family Cochlearidae.

Although herons resemble other families, such as the storks, ibises and spoonbills, unlike the latter groups, herons fly with their necks retracted, not outstretched.

The two Ardeidae genera Botaurus and Ixobrychus are named as Bitterns. Some herons, espcially the white species, are called egrets.

Herons typically feed in shallow water or marshes, taking fish, frogs or small birds and mammals.

The heron species are:

Genus Ardea

• Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias
• Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
• Goliath Heron[?] Ardea goliath
• Cocoi Heron Ardea cocoi
• White-necked Heron Ardea pacifica
• Black-headed Heron Ardea melanocephala
• Madagascar Heron Ardea humbloti
• White-bellied Heron Ardea insignis
• Great-billed Heron Ardea sumatrana
• Purple Heron Ardea purpurea

Genus Philherodias

• Capped Heron Pilherodius pileatus

Genus Butorides

• Green Heron[?] or Green-backed Heron Butorides virescens
• Striated Heron[?] Butorides striatus

Genus Ardeola

• Indian Pond Heron[?] Ardeola grayii
• Squacco Heron[?] Ardeola ralloides
• Chinese Pond-Heron Ardeola bacchus
• Javan Pond-Heron Ardeola speciosa
• Madagascar Pond-Heron Ardeola idae
• Rufous-bellied Heron Ardeola rufiventris

Genus Bubulcus

• Cattle Egret[?] Bubulcus ibis

Genus Egretta

• Little Egret[?] Egretta garzetta
• Snowy Egret[?] Egretta thula
• Great Egret or Great White Egret, Egretta alba
• Reddish Egret[?] Egretta rufescens
• Pied Heron Egretta picata
• Slaty Egret Egretta vinaceigula
• Black Heron[?] Egretta ardesiaca
• Tricolored Heron[?] Egretta tricolor
• Intermediate Egret[?] Egretta intermedia
• White-faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae
• Little Blue Heron[?] Egretta caerulea
• Chinese Egret Egretta eulophotes
• Eastern Reef-egret Egretta sacra

Genus Agamia

• Agami Heron Agamia agami

Genus Tigrisoma

• Bare-throated Tiger-Heron Tigrisoma mexicanum
• Fasciated Tiger-Heron Tigrisoma fasciatum
• Rufescent Tiger-Heron Tigrisoma lineatum

Genus Tigriornis

• White-crested Tiger-Heron Tigriornis leucolophus

Genus Zonerodius

• New Guinea Tiger-Heron Zonerodius heliosylus

Genus Zebrilus

• Zigzag Heron Zebrilus undulatus

Genus Syrigma

• Whistling Heron Syrigma sibilatrix

Genus Nycticorax

• Yellow-crowned Night-Heron[?] Nycticorax violaceus
• Black-crowned Night-Heron[?] Nycticorax nycticorax
• Rufous Night-Heron Nycticorax caledonicus
• White-backed Night-Heron Nycticorax leuconotus

Genus Gorsachius

• White-eared Night-Heron Gorsachius magnificus
• Japanese Night-Heron Gorsachius goisagi
• Malayan Night-Heron Gorsachius melanolophus

see also Bittern