Field record
Grey Heron
Ardea cinerea
I tracked this heron down the river through a lot of missed frames before one held, wings open over the water.
- Location
- Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary
- Coordinates
- 12.42° N · 76.65° E
Field guideLeast Concern
It hunts by standing motionless in or beside shallow water for long stretches, then seizing prey with a lightning-fast thrust of its dagger-like bill.
- Family
- Ardeidae (herons, egrets, and bitterns)
- Length
- 84–102 cm
- Wingspan
- 155–195 cm
- Diet
- Mainly fish, plus amphibians, small mammals, insects, and occasionally small birds
- Range
- Resident and partially migratory across temperate Europe, Asia, and parts of Africa; northern populations move south in autumn