The grey heron (Ardea cinerea) is a beautiful statuesque bird, native to vast swathes of the Eastern Hemisphere. It’s found in a broad range of wetland habitats from Britain to Norway, to Japan, and South Africa and almost every country in between - bar the hottest deserts, and the coldest mountain ranges.
Here in Britain, the grey heron is one of the tallest birds you’ll encounter, standing at over a metre in height. Its size, combined with its smart grey black and white whiskery plumage, makes this fishing specialist instantly recognisable. Despite its grand looks and a 6ft whopper of a wingspan, the average heron weighs little more than a pheasant, with bigger males only reaching a maximum of 2 kilograms.
The grey heron is quite vocal, with a variety of calls depending on behaviour. The most commonly heard is its grating ‘fraarnk’ flight call, and if alarmed it emits a ‘go-go-go’. An ‘oooo’ is used in courtship display (which is somewhat fitting), and they also ‘clap’ at each other with their bills in greeting and in mating displays.
Herons nest in big trees, in groups called heronries. These are often habitual sites that are revisited year after year and may involve dozens of nests, spanning multiple trees. The largest heronry in Britain is currently at Northward Hill in Kent, where numbers of nests are between 150 and 200! Herons start to nest quite early and it’s not unusual to see herons sitting on eggs in early February, but nesting activity peaks in late March.
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