heron

/ˈhɛrən/

/ˈhɛrən/

Other forms: herons

Herons are birds that use their long legs to wade in marshes, ponds, and along the coastline. There are herons living on every single continent except Antarctica.

There are dozens of heron species, ranging from medium-sized to the impressive goliath heron, which stands five feet tall. All of these shorebirds have long legs, long necks, and a wide wingspan. When a heron stands upright, it holds its neck in a distinctive S-shape, but when it flies, it tucks its head tightly up against its body. Heron is from the Old French hairon, which may derive from an imitative root mimicking the cry of a heron.

Definitions of heron

1. noun

   grey or white wading bird with long neck and long legs and (usually) long bill
   types:

   Ardea herodius, great blue heron

   large American heron having bluish-grey plumage

   Ardea occidentalis, great white heron

   large white heron of Florida and the Florida Keys

   egret

   any of various usually white herons having long plumes during breeding season

   Egretta caerulea, little blue heron

   small bluish-grey heron of the western hemisphere

   night heron, night raven

   nocturnal or crepuscular herons

   Cochlearius cochlearius, boat-billed heron, boatbill, broadbill

   tropical American heron related to night herons

   bittern

   relatively small compact tawny-brown heron with nocturnal habits and a booming cry; found in marshes

   Egretta thula, snowy egret, snowy heron

   small New World egret

   Egretta garzetta, little egret

   Old World egret

   Casmerodius albus, great white heron

   widely distributed Old World white egret

   American egret, Egretta albus, great white heron

   a common egret of the genus Egretta found in America; it is a variety of the Old World white egret Casmerodius albus

   Bubulcus ibis, cattle egret

   small white egret widely distributed in warm regions often found around grazing animals

   Nycticorax nycticorax, black-crowned night heron

   night heron of both Old and New Worlds

   Nyctanassa violacea, yellow-crowned night heron

   North American night heron

   American bittern, Botaurus lentiginosus, stake driver

   a kind of bittern

   Botaurus stellaris, European bittern

   a kind of bittern

   Ixobrychus exilis, least bittern

   small American bittern

   type of:

   wader, wading bird

   any of many long-legged birds that wade in water in search of food