Grey heron

The grey heron, in Afrikaans bloureier or scientifically Ardea cinerea, is a wading bird at home in parts of Africa, Europe and Asia. It may be found all over South Africa but is not common. Not always satisfied with its home, a part of their population is seasonally migratory, in keeping with practices of some of the affluent and aristocratic who follow the sun between north and south for comfort and change of scenery.

The South African grey herons, not so taken with conspicuous living habits or tired of passport problems are largely permanent residents. These long-legged birds seek wetland areas like lakes, lagoons, rivers, pans, ponds, grassy marshes and the seaside in temperate areas.

The grey heron is a large bird, up to a metre tall. Adults weigh between 1 kg and 2 kg. The neck and head are white, divided by a broad, horizontal, black band extending from the eye to the black feathery crest protruding behind the head. The body and wings are grey above and the underparts greyish-white with some black on the flanks extending to the shoulder. The long, sharply pointed beak, effective as a spear of unsuspecting aquatic animals, is pinkish-yellow, the legs brown. Some yellow on the legs turns red in the breeding season.

The birds often breed colonially, usually building their stick platform nests high in trees, protected in reedbeds or upon cliffs. A clutch of two or three bluish-green eggs is laid, the eggs pointed at both ends. Both birds incubate the eggs for a period of about 26 days and feed the chicks that fledge when seven or eight weeks old.

Many of the young do not survive their first winter. Those that do may live for about five years (Maclean, 1993; Wikipedia).