#0534 · 🐦 birds

Grey Heron

🇳🇱 Blauwe Reiger ·Ardea cinerea

LCleast concern 🐦 Birds 📍 in the Netherlands

7 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences

what is it?

The grey heron ( Ardea cinerea ) is a long-legged predatory wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts 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. It feeds mostly on aquatic creatures which it catches after...

base stats

NL sightings 7,524iNaturalist, research grade
worldwide 270,670iNaturalist observations
weight 61 gadult, up to
threat LCleast concern

Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).

fun facts

Spotted 7,524 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: the #3 most seen of the birds in NL.
270,670 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
Weighs only about 61 g.
Scientifically named in 1758 (268 years ago).