heron

a kind of bird – wading bird (lives in or near water, hunts walking through the water, but not swim or dive) – related to, belongs to and sometimes called ‘egrets or bitterns’ –

long slim body with mostly white, grey, light brown or blue drooping feathers,

‘s’-shaped neck

with long ‘s’ shaped neck and long, pointed and serrated beak (bill), long legs; long wings; size: (different species with different sizes) on average, 3-4½ feet tall, and weighs 2-2½ Kg.; feeds on (eats) mainly fish but also frogs and other small water animals, insects, and even small rabbits; about 60 species (kinds) – some diurnal, hunting in day time; and some nocturnal, hunting at night – found in tropics and sub-tropics of the world

male ~~ cock

female ~~ hen

baby ~~ chick

group ~~ sedge, siege; heronry (large colony)

voice (call) ~~ crock (different other sounds, too)

home ~~ nest (laying eggs and raising chicks)

Some common heron species are: pond heron or paddy bird (India), grey heron, great blue heron, little blue heron, white faced heron, goliath heron, great white heron

Special Features:

The ‘white heron’ is the province bird of Tokushima, Japan.

Herons are very patient birds.  Large ‘heronries’ are a sight to see and enjoy.

Herons are disliked by the owners of fish ponds and fish farms as they eat up large quantities of fish that are grown there!  However, they are appreciated by the farmers of the marshy areas as they keep the insect pest populations under control by eating them up!

Figures of Speech:

1.

like the heron, all guts and gangyls (‘gangyls’ = thin and ungraceful long legs; ‘gut’ = intestines/bowls) [said of a man or animal fit only for eating and walking about; not doing any useful work]

2.

like a molern/noll heron, all legs and wings  = very thin; not attractive (?) (‘molern’ & ‘noll heron’ =  hen heron; female heron)

3.

as saintly as a heron [said of a person with a lot of patience]

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