Heron
Herons are wading birds in the Ardeidae family. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called egrets or bitterns instead of herons.
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| Snowy egret, Egretta thula, with chicks | |
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| Family: | Ardeidae Leach, 1820
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In the family, all members of the genera Botaurus and Ixobrychus are called bitterns: they are a monophyletic group within the Ardeidae.[1]
On the other hand, egrets are not a biologically distinct group. They are called egrets because they are mainly white and/or have decorative plumes. Although egrets have the same build as the larger herons, they tend to be smaller.
The classification of the individual heron/egret species is difficult, and there is no clear consensus about the placement of many species into either of the two major genera, Ardea and Egretta.
Although herons look like birds in some other families, such as the storks, ibises and spoonbills, they differ from these in flying with their necks retracted, not outstretched. They are also one of the bird groups that have 'powder down'.
Some members of this group nest colonially in trees; others, notably the bitterns, use reedbeds.
Other examples:
Heron Media
The neck of this yellow bittern is fully retracted.
The Pacific reef heron has two colour morphs, the light and the dark.
Lava herons are endemic to the Galápagos Islands, where they feed on fish and crabs in the intertidal and mangrove areas.
A great egret manipulating its prey, a lizard, before swallowing
Black herons holding wings out to form an umbrella-like canopy under which to hunt
Tricoloured heron fishing, using wings to eliminate reflection from the water, which improves its ability to sight prey
The larger bitterns, like this American bittern, are solitary breeders. To advertise for mates, males use loud, characteristic calls, referred to as booming.
White-faced heron (Egretta novaehollandiae), demonstrating the retracted neck that is typical of herons in flight.
Bare-throated tiger heron (Tigrisoma mexicanum)
Great bittern (Botaurus stellaris)
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References
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Wikispecies has information on: Ardeidae. |
- ↑ Martínez-Vilalta, Albert; Motis, Anna 1992. "Family Ardeidae (Herons)" in del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew; Sargatal, Jordi: Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 1, Ostriches to Ducks. Barcelona: Lynx Editions. pp376–403 ISBN 978-84-87334-10-8