Heron in flight !!

With its long legs and elegant neck the Gray Heron strikes a regal pose as it stands motionless in shallow water, waiting to strike at unsuspecting fish.   .. .. and a Heron  in flight is attractive !!

 

The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons.   Egrets do not form a biologically distinct group from herons, and tend to be named differently because they are mainly white or have decorative plumes in breeding plumage. Herons, by evolutionary adaptation, have long beaks.   Distributed across most of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world, it builds tree nests in colonies close to water.  Although herons resemble birds in some other families, such as the storks, ibises, spoonbills, and cranes, they differ from these in flying with their necks retracted, not outstretched.   

The word heron first appeared in the English language around 1300, originating from Old French hairon, eron (12th century), earlier hairo (11th century), from Frankish haigiro or from Proto-Germanic *haigrô, *hraigrô.

 

Interesting !
 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
29.8.2025