Species guide
Grey Heron: how to recognise it
A bird seen on most continents. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Frank Sengpiel · CC BY · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Ardea cinerea
- Family
- Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns
- Size
- About 84–102 cm
- Habitat
- Rivers, lakes, ponds, canals and coasts
- Found in
- Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, South America and Oceania
The key marks
A big grey heron with a white head and neck, a black stripe over the eye that ends in a plume, and a long yellow dagger-like bill.
Voice
A harsh “fraank” in flight.
Good to know
It stands motionless in shallow water, then strikes with a lightning stab of its bill.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in rivers, lakes, ponds, canals and coasts. It is especially common in Japan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Türkiye. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.