Heron
the common name of birds of the genus Ardea, constituting with the bitterns the family Ardeidæ, type of what is now commonly regarded as a separate order of birds, the Herodiones. The herons are very numerous, and almost universally spread over the globe. They are distinguished by having a long bill cleft beneath the eyes, a compressed body, long slender legs naked above the tarsal joint, three toos in front, the two outer united by a membrane, and by moderate wings. The tail is short, rounded, and composed of 10 or 12 feathers. The common heron (A. cinerea) is about three feet in length from the point of the bill to the end of the tail, builds its nest in high trees, many being sometimes on one tree. Its food consists of fish, frogs, mollusks, mice, moles, and similar small animals. The great heron (A. herodias) is an inhabitant of America, and is called also great blue heron; the great white heron or egret (A. or Herodias alba) belongs to Europe; and the green heron (A. virescens), the flesh of which is much esteemed, is a native of North America.