
Grey Heron

Lowest risk
Migratory
The grey heron 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 standing stationary beside or in the water or stalking its prey through the shallows.
- Range mass
- 0.226 to 1.36 kg
- Range length
- 84 to 102 cm
- Range wingspan
- 155 to 175 cm
- Breeding interval
- Grey herons breed once a year.
- Breeding season
- Grey herons breed from late Feburary to early June.
- Range eggs per season
- 3 to 5
- Range time to hatching
- 25 to 26 days
- Average fledging age
- 50 days
- Range time to independence
- 9 to 10 weeks
- Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
- 1 years
- Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
- 1 years
- Range lifespan
Status: wild - 23 (high) years
- Average lifespan
Status: wild - 5 years
Bower, J. and D. Rabago 2012. "Ardea cinerea" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed November 10, 2020 at https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ardea_cinerea/

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