Herons

The Everglades family of herons include the Great Blue Heron, Little Blue Heron, Great White Heron, Tri-colored Heron, and the smaller Green Heron, Black-Crowned Night Heron, and the Yellow-Crowned Night Heron. Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns belong to the same family. It should be noted that the classification of the heron / egret placement within a specific species is debated and contested in the science community. Particular confusion arises with the classification of the Great White Heron. For the purposes of this website, the assignment of Herons and Egrets are separated into two galleries for easier identification in the attempt to avoid confusion. Herons are a highly diverse family with all kinds of unique color schemes and appearances, including black, grey, blue, yellow, and much more. The most common and prominent characteristic is a very long neck. Larger herons have a neck crooked in the middle to resemble an S shape, which helps to support the heavy bill and head. When the heron takes flight, its head of these larger birds curves back against the body and the feet dangle down. Few other birds fly in this manner. Other prominent characteristics, in relation to their body size, include large wings, a long sharp bill, and long legs to wade in the water. Part of the body is covered in a fine powder created as a result of preening feathers enabling the bird to keep clean and healthy. Herons usually feed while wading quietly in shallow water pools, marshes, and swamps, as they catch frogs, fish, and other aquatic animals. Some of the smaller herons also perch on branches over the water in-order to snag their prey. Herons nest in rough, self-constructed platforms of sticks in bushes or trees near the water edge. As a matter of communal safety, the nests are grouped among nesting colonies of other wading species. (Britannica & A-Z Animals)