Grey Heron

How to identify

Field marks

1. White head and neck; a single broad black band from the eye to the crest
2. Black streaks on the front of the neck
3. Gray back and wings; white belly
4. Long, straight, powerful bill; very long legs

Male, female and young

Juveniles are duller overall, with the black head band replaced by gray and only a small tuft of dark gray crest feathers.

Voice

Mainly a loud croaking “fraaank”, also deep guttural notes and goose-like calls.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: September–January and April · Most records: United Kingdom, China, Spain

Grey Heron has been recorded at 4,083 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 161 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

1. Amwell HMWT NRUnited Kingdom7,920 records
2. Txingudi – PlaiaundiSpain5,760 records
3. Desembocadura del Guadalhorce – ÁreaSpain5,426 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United KingdomChinaSpainIndiaPortugalIsraelGermanyJapan

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The grey heron (Ardea cinerea) is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout Europe, Asia, and most of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more northern parts migrate southwards in autumn. A bird of wetland areas, it can be seen around lakes, rivers, ponds, marshes and on the sea coast.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions