Grey heron
Ardea cinerea Linnaeus, 1758
The grey heron (Ardea cinerea), also called Gray heron, is a bird of the family Ardeidae in the order Pelecaniformes. It is a medium-sized bird with an adult body mass of 1.44 kg (from 1.36 to 1.51 kg across sources) and a wingspan of 1.73 m.
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Quick facts about the grey heron
The grey heron is a carnivorous aquatic predator of wetland habitats, with a terrestrial lifestyle, sedentary migration behaviour and a geographic range of 46,420,000 km². It lays one clutch per year of 4.3 eggs, incubated for 25.5 days, reaches sexual maturity at 2 years, and is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.
- Weight
- 1.36 kg – 1.51 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Height
- up to 1 msrc for Height
- Wingspan
- 1.73 msrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 30.3 years – 37.5 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- wetlandsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 25.5 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 3.9 – 4.31src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 2 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Reproduction
- Eggssrc for Reproduction
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the grey heron?
Photos of the grey heron
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the grey heron live?
Not recorded
What is the grey heron?
The grey heron (Ardea cinerea) is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout Europe, Asia, and most of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more northern parts migrate southwards in autumn. A bird of wetland areas, it can be seen around lakes, rivers, ponds, marshes and on the sea coast. It feeds mostly on aquatic creatures which it catches after standing stationary beside or in the water, or stalking its prey through the shallows.
Standing up to 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) tall, adults weigh from 1 to 2 kg (2 to 4 lb). They have a white head and neck with a broad black stripe that extends from the eye to the black crest. The body and wings are grey above and the underparts are greyish-white, with some black on the flanks. The long, sharply pointed beak is pinkish-yellow and the legs are brown.
The birds breed colonially in spring in heronries, usually building their nests high in trees. A clutch of usually three to five bluish-green eggs is laid. Both birds incubate the eggs for around 25 days, and then both feed the chicks, which fledge when 7–8 weeks old. Many juveniles do not survive their first winter, but if they do, they can expect to live for about 5 years.
In Ancient Egypt, the deity Bennu was depicted as a heron in New Kingdom artwork. In Ancient Rome, the heron was a bird of divination. Roast heron was once a specially prized dish; when George Neville became Archbishop of York in 1465, 400 herons were served to the guests.
From the Wikipedia article “Grey heron” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grey_heron&oldid=1378830909), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
What does the grey heron sound like?
Is the grey heron endangered?
The grey heron is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the grey heron classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPelecaniformes
- familyArdeidae
- genusArdea
- SpeciesArdea cinerea Linnaeus, 1758
Other names and names in other languages (178)
- Gray heronEnglish
- HeronEnglish
- BloureierAfrikaans
- FischraigelAlbanian
- زرقيArabic
- بلشون رماديArabic
- GarrapescaireAragonese
- XürlaMapuche
- ÓliguAsturian
- Garcia RialAsturian
- Boz vağAzerbaijani
- СеләнBashkir
- Чапля шэраяBelarusian
- Шэрая чапляBelarusian
- Сива чаплаBulgarian
- সাদা বকBangla
- Kam kaTibetan
- Kerc'heiz louetBreton
- CapljaBosnian
- Agró BlauCatalan
- bernat pescaireCatalan
- МыгыльшӱMari
- МыгыльонгMari
- Сӑрӑ чарланChuvash
- Сарă чарланChuvash
- volavka popelaváCzech
- Sëwô czaplaKashubian
- CrehyrodWelsh
- crëyr glasWelsh
- fiskehejreDanish
- GraureiherGerman
- FischreiherGerman
- މާކަނާDivehi
- Źiwa šytawaLower Sorbian
- ΣταχτοτσικνιάςGreek
- griza ardeoEsperanto
- Garza grisSpanish
- Garza realSpanish
- hallhaigurEstonian
- koartza hauskaraBasque
- حواصیل خاکستریPersian
- harmaahaikaraFinnish
- HegriFaroese
- Héron cendréFrench
- Grä heegerNorthern Frisian
- AironFriulian
- IelreagerWestern Frisian
- Corr éiscIrish
- corr réiscScottish Gaelic
- Corra RiathachScottish Gaelic
- corra-ghlasScottish Gaelic
- corra-ghritheachScottish Gaelic
- corrachan-glasaScottish Gaelic
- corrachan-gritheachScottish Gaelic
- Coar ny hastanManx
- HokoGuarani
- બગલોGujarati
- KabutGujarati
- אנפה אפורהHebrew
- बगुलाHindi
- Siva CapljaCroatian
- Šěra čaplaUpper Sorbian
- szürke gémHungarian
- գորշ ձկնկուլArmenian
- Մոխրագույն տառեղArmenian
- Cangak abuIndonesian
- GráhegriIcelandic
- Airone cenerinoItalian
- アオサギJapanese
- რუხი ყანჩაGeorgian
- BregKashmiri
- ПсыхэуэKabardian
- Пора сÿленkjn
- КөкқұтанKazakh
- ಬೂದು ಬಕKannada
- 왜가리Korean
- ŞaqavîKurdish
- KerghydhCornish
- KerghythCornish
- Samunkomakwn
- GroreeërLuxembourgish
- FëschräerLuxembourgish
- Groe RäerLuxembourgish
- PerdigiorniLigurian
- pilkasis garnysLithuanian
- DzēseLatvian
- zivju gārnisLatvian
- ВачкурганMoksha
- VanokasiraMalagasy
- LangoromavoMalagasy
- Vagna davenikaMalagasy
- чарлаҥгеMari
- мыгыльшÿйMari
- сива чапјаMacedonian
- ചാരമുണ്ടിMalayalam
- Russett grizMaltese
- Хухэ дэглыMongolian
- बगळाMarathi
- राखी बगळाMarathi
- Burung SeriapMalay
- СенксьErzya
- AiróneNeapolitan
- Gråhegre HegreNorwegian Bokmål
- ReigerLow German
- SchittreiherLow German
- फुस्रो बकुल्लाNepali
- blauwe reigerDutch
- gråhegreNorwegian Nynorsk
- Héthonnrm
- ଅଞ୍ଜନା ବଗOdia
- ਬਗਲਾPunjabi
- ÉronPicard
- czapla siwaPolish
- گرے ہیرونWestern Panjabi
- garça-realPortuguese
- garça-moura-europeiaPortuguese
- garça-real-comumPortuguese
- WajjchillaQuechua
- Irun grischRomansh
- KokosturkaRomany
- stârc cenuşiuRomanian
- Stârc cenușiuRomanian
- Stîrc cenuşiuRomanian
- серая цапляRussian
- Сира чапляRusyn
- КутанYakut
- वकःSanskrit
- HernScots
- RánesháigirNorthern Sami
- volavka popolaváSlovak
- siva čapljaSlovenian
- KokolofitoeSouthern Sotho
- boroviqiAlbanian
- Çafka e hirtëAlbanian
- çafka e përhimeAlbanian
- çajmja e përhimeAlbanian
- çapa e përhimeAlbanian
- çapëthimjaAlbanian
- çapka e përhimeAlbanian
- gata e përhimeAlbanian
- gatëza e përhimeAlbanian
- Siva čaplja - Сива чапљаSerbian
- Сива чапљаSerbian
- GarzaSardinian
- gråhägerSwedish
- hägerSwedish
- Koikoi KijivuSwahili
- நதியன்Tamil
- கருநாரைTamil
- சாம்பல்கொக்குTamil
- நரையான்Tamil
- பெருங்கொக்குTamil
- கொய்யடி நாரைTamil
- சாம்பல் நாரைTamil
- நாராயணப் பட்சிTamil
- Boz balıq çilTatar
- నారాయణ పక్షిTelugu
- นกกระสานวลThai
- Külrengi balıkçılTurkmen
- gri balıkçılTurkish
- seNgwepeTswana
- kokolohutoTswana
- kokolohutuTswana
- KôkôlôhutwêTswana
- kolokhutweTswana
- kololokhutweTswana
- Бора коонгукTuvinian
- Чапля сіраUkrainian
- SgarzaVenetian
- Diệc xámVietnamese
- Blauwn reigerWest Flemish
- NoobineWolof
- Kөк дегләKalmyk
- IsikhwalimanziXhosa
- ReiherZeelandic
- 苍鹭Chinese
- 蒼鷺Chinese
- uNokilonkiZulu
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the grey heron
Other species in the same genus Ardea.
Great egret
Ardea alba
Western cattle egret
Ardea ibis
Purple heron
Ardea purpurea
Goliath heron
Ardea goliath
Blue heron
Ardea herodias
Medium egret
Ardea intermedia
CompareGrey heron vs Great egretGrey heron vs Western cattle egretGrey heron vs Purple heronGrey heron vs Goliath heron
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the grey heron?
The grey heron is a bird in the family Ardeidae, order Pelecaniformes.
How heavy is a grey heron?
An adult Grey heron weighs 1.44 kg, with values from 1.36 to 1.51 kg reported by sources. Its wingspan is 1.73 m.
What does the grey heron eat?
The grey heron is an aquatic predator and a carnivore.
What habitat does the grey heron live in?
The grey heron lives in wetland habitat.
Is the grey heron endangered?
No. The grey heron is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does a grey heron live?
The grey heron has a lifespan of 30.25 years, with values up to 37.5 years reported by sources.
How many eggs does a grey heron lay?
The grey heron lays 4.3 eggs per clutch and one clutch per year. The eggs are incubated for 25.5 days.
Who named the grey heron?
The grey heron, Ardea cinerea, was named by Linnaeus, 1758.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Grey heron (Ardea cinerea). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/grey-heron
“Grey heron (Ardea cinerea).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/grey-heron.
@misc{grey_heron_2026,
title = {Grey heron (Ardea cinerea)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/grey-heron},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}