The UK is home plate to three regular breeding species of herons and approximately seven species that arrive as vagrants from early parts of the world .
Common Heron Species in the UK
The stick to british herons are more coarse and are found throughout the UK .
Grey Heron
Ardea cinerea
Grey Heron Flying
Grey Heron close up
Grey Heron catching pisces
Grey Heron flying over water system length : 90cm to 98cm wingspan : 175cm to 195cm weight : 1.5kg to 2kg
Your browser does not support the audio
element.
Grey Heron call during flight Dawid Jablonski, XC203979. accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/203979 .Learn more about the Grey Heron
Grey Heron
The Grey hero is well the UK ’ s most common heron, with an estimated breed population of around 13,000 nests. Migrants from northerly Europe boost breed numbers, and the UK ‘s wintering population is estimated at 63,000 birds. These powerful birds are grandiloquent, fall and healthy. They ’ ra affected role hunters and can remain wholly inactive for hours in waiting for their raven. Frogs, fish and other birds are no match for the Grey hero ’ sulfur sharp bill, which it uses to skewer and impale prey before normally swallowing it unharmed. Grey herons are a menace to fish ponds and fisheries. Once they successfully hunt a pisces in a pond, lake or fishery, you can be sure that they ’ ll be back for more until the stock is depleted ! Yes – Grey herons do eat other birds, specially the nestlings of early aquatic birds like moorhens, coots and ducks. however, this is relatively uncommon – the Grey hero surely prefers pisces.
Grey Heron eating a fish Grey herons are quite sociable, and nest in large colonies called heronries. The RSPB reserve Northward Hill in Kent is home to 150 nests and is one of the best places to see the Grey heron in the UK. however, they ’ rhenium common and can be found across most waterways in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland .
Appearance
Grey herons are large, tall birds that measure 90cm to 98cm hanker with a wingspan of 175cm to 195cm. They weigh 1.5kg to 2kg. The feather is largely grey on the wings with a white pass and neck that has a distinctive spot radiation pattern along its bottom. Grey herons have peculiarly long necks and legs. Their big wingspan is among the largest of any dame in the UK .
Little Egret
Egretta garzetta
little Egret fishing
small Egret coming in to land
duration : 55cm to 65cm wingspan : 88cm to 95cm weight : 350g to 550g
Your browser does not support the audio
element.
Little Egret Call Alan Dalton, XC611627. accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/611627 .Learn more about the Little Egret
Little Egret
little egrets started wintering on the french Mediterranean coast in the mid-19th-century, and would return northwards and westwards to breed across central and northern Europe. Populations were first established in Normandy and Brittany before they started arriving on UK shores in around 1950. The little egret ’ s minor breeding colonies grew significantly by 1989 when around 100 birds arrived on the confederacy coast. By 1996, two engender colonies were confirmed in Brownsea Island, Dorset, and Cornwall. There is tell that the Little egret is a early breeder in the UK, however, as many chivalric texts seem to refer to them as ‘ egrittes ’, specifically during the early 15th-century reign of Henry IV, Henry V and Henry VI. little egrets were heavily persecuted for their brilliant white feather, which once became more expensive than gold at £15 per oz, equivalent to £900 in today ’ s money !
little egret ( Egretta garzetta ) flying over the reeds, Norfolk, UK little egrets are placid uncommon in the UK, with an estimated 660 to 740 breed pairs. however, breeding numbers are boosted by winter migrants, which increase the population to around 4,500 birds. You can find them in East Anglia, the estuaries of Devon and Cornwall, Poole Harbour and Chichester Harbour .
Appearance
little egrets are reasonably large among early UK birds, measuring 55 to 65cm long with an 88 to 106 centimeter wingspan. They weigh about 350 to 550g. Their body is grandiloquent and very slender. Their brilliant white feather is apparent and contrasts with their large eyes, yellow iris, orange bill and black-grey legs .
Bittern
Botaurus stellaris
Great bittern in flight ( eurasian bittern )
Close up of a capital bittern ( eurasian bittern ) duration : 69cm to 81cm wingspan : 100cm to 130cm weight unit : 870g to 1.94kg
Your browser does not support the audio
element.
Booming call of a Bittern Simon Elliott, XC602212. accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/602212 .Learn more about the Bittern
Bittern
The eurasian bittern is about the opposite of the Egret ; they ’ re small, compact, with a relatively thick neck and camouflaged brown feather. The eurasian bittern is the largest bittern and is found across much of central and eastern Europe and cardinal and easterly Asia. The species normally migrate south to south Asia, Africa and the indian Subcontinent. The UK ’ s bittern population is bantam, with around 200 or so males recorded in 2020. however, this has increased from just 80 or fewer males in the 1950s. In 1997, the population reached a critical low indicate before conservation efforts boosted resident populations. Bitterns trust on highly specific reedbed habitats that are dense and foliaged to keep them well-hidden. As a result, this close bird is crafty to spot. Bitterns are most active at dusk, night and dawn, and rarely appear during the day.
Bittern in flight One of the most classifiable characteristics of the bittern is its super-loud boom foghorn-like shout that can apparently be heard up to 3 miles away ! There are two authentic RSPB reserves for spotting bitterns ; at Minsmere ( Suffolk ) and Leighton Moss ( Lancashire ). The eurasian bittern ’ south UK conservation condition is listed as Amber. Like most other herons, bitterns hunt fish, amphibians and large aquatic insects .
Appearance
Bitterns are thick, potent herons that measure 69 to 81cm in duration, with a wingspan of 100 to 130m. They weigh around 0.87 to 1.94kg. Like other herons, bitterns have long necks but are besides particularly thickly. The feather is largely dark and light-banded brown on the body and wings, lighter on the neck. The pate and nape are black. Bitterns are well-camouflaged and prefer to stay hidden. They ’ ra slow-moving birds that stalk through the underbrush in pastime of amphibians, pisces and belittled reptiles .
Less common and rare Heron species in the UK
Most of these hero species below are rare visitors to the UK, but on occasions have been spotted .
American Bittern
Botaurus lentiginosus
American Bittern
American Bittern in flight
American Bittern foraging in the water distance : 58cm to 85cm wingspan : 92cm to 115cm weight : 370g to 1.072kg
American Bittern
The american english bittern is a rare aimless from North America. There have been fewer than 20 records of american english bitterns in the UK. One of their more luminary appearances occurred in 2020 at Carlton Marshes, Suffolk, where an american bittern sighting sparked an inflow of 2,000 birdwatchers who wanted to catch a glimpse of this rare visitor. That was the first sight since 2010 – ten years before !
Appearance
The american bittern is alike to the eurasian bittern but slightly smaller, stockier and more round. They measure 58 to 85cm long with a wingspan of 92 to 115 curium and count between 370 to 1,072g. In accession, they have a bluff yellow-striped poster, which the Eurasian bittern lacks with the same level of contrast .
Little Bittern
Ixobrychus minutus
length : 33cm to 38cm wingspan : 52cm to 58cm weight : 140g to 150gLearn more about the Little Bittern
Little Bittern
The Little bittern was probably sanely coarse in the UK but now breeds east of here in central, southern and eastern Europe and cardinal Asia. Breeding pairs of the Little bittern were suspected at South Walsham Broad in the mid-19th-century, but it wasn ’ metric ton until 1984 when three youthful were raised in South Yorkshire. In 2010, a pair of Little bitterns built a cuddle at Ham Wall military reserve in Somerset. No dependable breed sightings have been recorded since. There are around 271 read sightings of Little bitterns in the UK as of 2019 .
Appearance
The smallest breeding hero in Europe, measuring 33 to 38cm retentive with a wingspan of 52 to 58cm. The short bittern is paler than early bitterns but still features the lapp heron-like body and neck. It ’ mho one of the smallest members of the heron kin .
Green Heron
Butorides virescens
Close up of a green Heron
fleeceable Heron taking off
green Heron fertilize on a fish length : 41cm to 46cm wingspan : 64cm to 68cm weight : 240g
Green Heron
A rare vagrant from North America, there are identical few sightings of the Green heron in the UK. One of the most celebrated visits was recorded in 2010 at Pentewan, Cornwall yesterday, where it was sighted at the Lost Gardens of Heligan. A belated sighting was made in 2018 at Llanmill, Pembrokeshire. The Green hero is a beautiful, photogenic heron that breeds across the eastern US. This migrant species typically migrates to Central and South America, but some seem to find their room over the Atlantic .
Appearance
The Green hero lives up to its namesake with emerald-green wings and a chestnut breast. It ’ s a small hero, measuring 41 to 46cm long with a wingspan of 64 to 68cm .
Squacco Heron
Ardeola ralloides
Read more : Do Birds Like Oranges In Winter? Birds Advice
Squacco Heron
Squacco Heron in escape
Squacco Heron eating a fish in shallow body of water length : 44cm to 47cm wingspan : 80cm to 92cm weight : 230g to 370g
Squacco Heron
The Squacco heron of eastern and southern Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and south-central Asia is a very rare vagrant to the UK, where it ’ sulfur been sighted some 271 times. A holocene sight was made in 2012 at WWT Welney reserve at the molding of Cambridgeshire and Norfolk .
Appearance
A minor, light brown heron with an concern blue bill and green face. Measures 44 to 47cm long with a wingspan of 80 to 92cm .
Cattle Egret
Bubulcus ibis
Cattle Egret with spread wings
Cattle Egret in flight
Profile of a western Cattle Egret
Juvenile Cattle Egret
Cattle Egret
Cattle Egret on nest
Cattle Egret with chicks distance : 45cm to 50cm wingspan : 82cm to 95cm slant : 300g to 400g
Your browser does not support the audio
element.
Western Cattle Egret call Itziar Gutiérrez, XC521495. accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/521495 .Learn more about the Cattle Egret
Cattle Egret
The Cattle egret is named as such because it lives near livestock and eats insects disturbed by the movement of cattle and other agricultural animals. This differs from the aquatic foraging behaviours of early herons. Cattle egrets breed in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australasia, which makes them one of the most wide distribute species of herons. however, their closest breed populations to the UK are found in France, Spain and Portugal. little numbers of Cattle egrets have arrived in the UK, and they ’ ve started to breed across parts of south and central England, including Oxfordshire and Somerset. In 2007/2008, many Cattle egrets arrived in the UK, with the largest numbers in southwest England, though some ended up on the eastern Irish slide and parts of Scotland .
Appearance
A compact heron with interesting orange head tufts in the breed season. The Cattle egret is more hunch than most herons and measures46 to 56cm long with a wingspan of 88 to 96cm. They weigh 270 to 512g .
Snowy Egret
Egretta thula
Snowy Egret
Snowy Egret in flight
Snowy Egret eating a spiny lobster distance : 56cm to 66cm wingspan : 100cm weight unit : 370g
Snowy Egret
Another rare north american aimless. The british Ornithologists ‘ Union Records Committee ( BOURC ) accepted a spy at Balvicar, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, on 5 November 2001. This is the only accept commemorate of this bird in the UK .
Appearance
very similar to the Little egret, though it has an all-black bill .
Great White Egret
Ardea alba
length : 80cm to 104cm wingspan : 131cm to 170cm slant : 700g to 1.5kgLearn more about the Great White Egret
Great White Egret
A large, elegant egret with an extra-long neck. These birds were rarely sighted before 2000, but in 2020, there were 8,000 reports, which hints at the possibility of authentic breed populations. The Somerset Levels homed a confirm breeding pair of Great White egrets in 2012. These birds are found chiefly across southeast England and East Anglia, but sightings have occurred pretty much everywhere .
Appearance
basically alike to the Little egret but larger with a much longer neck. The Great White egret is a similar size to the Grey hero, measuring up to 1m tall with a wingspan of 131 to 170cm .
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron in flight
Great Blue Heron fish length : 91cm to 137cm wingspan : 167cm to 201cm weight : 1.82kg to 3.6kg
Great Blue Heron
The north american Great Blue Heron was added to The british Ornithologists ’ Union Records Committee ( BOURC ) ’ s Category A british number after a juvenile was sighted on 7th December 2007, on St Mary ’ second, Isles of Scilly. There are just two records in sum .
Appearance
The largest heron in North America, standing at up to 137cm tall with a wingspan of over 2m. largely grey-blue, but comes in different tinge morph .
Purple Heron
Ardea purpurea
length : 78cm to 97cm wingspan : 120cm to 152cm burden : 500g to 1.35kgLearn more about the Purple Heron
Purple Heron
This vagrant from parts of southern Europe breeds across Africa, Asia and eastern Europe, extending all the way to Japan and is spotted around 20 times per year. One luminary sight occurred at Noah ’ s Lake on the Avalon Marshes, Somerset, in 2018 .
Appearance
A large hero, largely not purple but a blue grey-blue with an matter to embrown striped neck. Measures 78 to 97 cm long with a wingspan of 120 to 152cm .
What are herons?
Herons are long-legged aquatic and wading birds from the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species distributed across much of the world. Herons are generally quite large, but range from the Dwarf bittern to the Goliath heron, which stands at around 1.5m tall. Herons are intelligent hunters that are about carnivorous. Most consume insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and minor birds, in the case of the largest herons. Herons are predaceous and have numerous hunting techniques. Some species even use bait to tempt fish towards them to make hunting easier. The hero syndicate besides includes egrets and bitters, which are not considered a biologically clear-cut family .
Dwarf Bittern
Goliath Heron
Are herons rare in the UK?
The UK’s most common heron is the Grey heron, which is common throughout Europe, Asia and Africa. There are some 13,000 Grey heron nests in the UK. Breeding populations are supplemented by winter visitors. The UK ’ s other two nonmigratory breeders, the Little egret and the eurasian bittern, are both relatively rare. respective other species of herons end up in the UK as vagrants from Europe and North America .
What is the most common heron in the UK?
The Grey hero is easily the UK ’ s most common heron, with some 13,000 nests and 63,000 birds during winter. On the early hand, the Little egret and bittern are relatively rare, with under 1,000 breed pairs .
The Grey hero is the most coarse and the largest hero species in the UK
What is the largest heron in the UK?
The UK ’ s most common heron, the Grey heron, is besides its largest. Grey herons are 90cm to 98cm long with a wingspan of 175cm to 195cm. They weigh 1.5kg to 2kg .
What is the smallest heron in the UK?
The Little egret is the UK ’ s smallest hero, measuring 55 to 65cm long with an 88 to 106 curium wingspan. They weigh about 350 to 550g .
The Little Egret is the smallest hero species in the UK
How many types of herons are there in the UK?
There are three species of breeding herons in the UK ; the Grey hero, eurasian bittern and little egret. In addition, there are seven rare visitors that end up in the UK as vagrants from Europe and North America, including the Little bittern, Squacco hero, Green hero, Cattle egret, Snowy egret, Great white egret and Great blue hero .
What herons are native to the UK?
The Grey heron, Bittern and Little egret are native to the UK. small egrets were very uncommon in the nineteenth hundred, but medieval literature from the 14th and 15th centuries refers to them .
Bitterns are close birds, and frequently hide in reedbeds
Are herons protected in the UK?
All herons are protected under The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The eurasian acerb is presently on the UK ’ s Amber conservation list, while the Grey hero and little egret are listed as Green .
Do herons have predators in the UK?
Grey herons, bitterns and Little egrets face threats from some nation predators like foxes, but overall, herons are rarely predated by other animals, in the UK at least .
Are there herons in London?
Grey herons live in Regent ’ randomness Park, where a big heronry is established on what ’ s now called Heron Island. You can besides spot herons at Battersea Park, Walthamstow Wetlands, and by the Thames in Richmond and Kingston.
Read more : Do Birds Like Oranges In Winter? Birds Advice
Expert Q + A
Ask a question
Do you have a question about this topic that we have n’t answered ? Submit it below, and one of our experts will answer adenine soon as they can .
Include your electronic mail address to get a message when this question is answered .
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.