Sunday, 28 April 2013

Fast Facts about Grey Herons



  • Latin Name - Ardea Cinerea.
  • They are the biggest species of heron in Europe!
  • They have a wingspan of up to 175cm.
  • They are the top of the food chain in freshwater habitats, and their diet consists of fish mainly but can also contain rodents, water voles, ducklings and amphibians.
  • Male and female birds build nests up to 40m up trees and usually in the same tree as several other nests.
  • Courtship activity starts around early December with eggs being produced around Christmas.
  • Incubation of eggs takes 25 days.
  • Chicks are fed by the parents on regurgitated fish.
  • At 4-6 weeks the baby birds start to wonder from their nest and at around 8 weeks is when they learn to fly, but can remain dependant on their parents till they are up to 10 weeks.
  • Their average lifespan is 5 years, but the oldest known individual was 23 years old.
If there are any other things people would like to know about Grey Herons, leave a question in the comments box and I will get back to you!



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