Grey Heron

How to recognise it

• Ash-grey upperparts, grey-black flight feathers, white head and throat, white leading edge to the wing
• Black crown and long black plume, greyish neck with rows of black spots in front
• Yellow bill, legs and iris, sexes look alike but males average slightly larger
• In flight the head is drawn in, giving a deep-chested look, with slow wingbeats

Call and song

The most frequent call is a croaking "kah-ährk", mostly heard at dusk from birds flying to their night roost. In breeding colonies there are various croaking and knocking sounds.

Where and when

In Sweden the Grey Heron is a fairly common breeder in the south, north to southern Värmland, southern Dalarna, Västmanland and Hälsingland, and breeds locally in Jämtland. Most migrate, but it is resident in southern Sweden and on the west coast. In late summer it sometimes turns up further north. The population is estimated at 14 000 breeding individuals. It is reported all year from all 21 counties.

Food and behaviour

It feeds mainly on fish, caught by standing motionless in the water and striking fast. It also takes amphibians, crustaceans and insects in shallow water, and sometimes forages on pasture some way from water. Resting at stream or lake edges, it often stands on one leg. At night it roosts in trees or on rocks, often in groups. It nests in colonies, sometimes of 50 to 100 pairs.