Herons

Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 75 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genus Botaurus are referred to as bitterns, and, together with the zigzag heron, or zigzag bittern, in the monotypic genus Zebrilus, form a monophyletic group within the Ardeidae. Egrets do not form a biologically distinct group from herons, and tend to be named differently because they are mainly white or have decorative plumes in breeding plumage. Herons, by evolutionary adaptation, have lo

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genus of birds in the Heron family (Ardeidae)

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genus of small herons

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species of heron

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Butorides is a genus of small herons. It contains four similar species, the striated heron Butorides striata, the lava heron Butorides sundevalli, the green heron Butorides virescens and the little heron Butorides atricapilla. They are closely related, and some authorities have considered them all to be subspecies of just one species; when treated so, the merged species is called green-backed heron. The name Butorides derives from Middle English Butor ("bittern") and the Ancient Greek suffix -oides, "resembling".

An egret (, ) is a type of heron; they are generally long-legged wading birds that have white or buff plumage and develop fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from herons and have the same build.

Nyctanassa is a genus of night herons from the Americas, especially (but not exclusively) warmer coastal regions. They were formerly included in the genus Nycticorax, but today all major authorities recognize them as distinct.

subspecies of Ardea alba

extinct heron

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thumb|Heronry in Stanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia, [[Canada.]] thumb|Heronry at Carp Hills, Ottawa, Canada A heronry, sometimes called a heron rookery, is a breeding ground for herons.

Zeltornis ("Zelten bird") is an extinct genus of heron. It contains a single species, Zeltornis ginsburgi.

Proardea is an extinct genus of heron, containing two species, Proardea amissa ("lost proto-heron") and Proardea? deschutteri from the Borgloon Formation of Belgium. It stood about 70 cm (2 ft 4 in) tall and was very similar to a modern heron in shape. The species is known from rather fragmentary fossils in the area of Quercy, France; dated remains are from Pech Desse, a Late Oligocene locality, but the original fossil, a single right tarsometatarsus (MNHN QU-15720), isn't precisely dated and may have come from deposits as early as Late Eocene in age.