Gray Heron – beautiful and very cautious bird. She was forced to be on the alert all the time by the sad experience of her ancestors, who in the past almost disappeared from the face of the Earth. During the mating season, the plumage on the head looks especially beautiful in birds. It was for these trophies that people have long hunted, not giving the herons the opportunity to hatch their offspring. Ladies used feathers obtained by hunters as decoration for their hats. Thanks to timely measures taken to protect birds, herons are now living and breeding.
Heron gray: description
Talking about these creatures is a pleasure! They are graceful and beautiful, they have some kind of aristocracy in appearance. The heron is a large long-legged bird. The weight of an adult reaches 2 kg, the length is 90-100 cm, and the wingspan reaches 175-200 cm.
The heron's head is rather narrow, adorned with a huge pinkish-yellow beak, resembling more a dagger than what the birds serve as both a nose and a mouth. On the back of the head there is a "pigtail", a black bunch of feathers hanging down. The neck is very long and flexible, bending backwards during flight. The head, neck and underparts are off-white, dark streaks are visible in front. The color of the feathers of the rest of the body is gray with blue. Paws are also gray with a yellow tint. During the mating season, the bird looks very beautiful, the color of the beak becomes much brighter and the famous “pigtail” blooms.
Habitats of the gray heron
This beautiful bird can be found in the gentle climate of Europe and Asia, the African continent can also boast of such inhabitants. In countries where water in reservoirs freezes in winter, the gray heron flies to Africa to spend the winter. Russia is also included in the list of cold countries, so birds spend only 6-7 months here, give birth and fly away to rest in a hot country with ostriches and hippos, but in the spring we meet them again. The colony of gray herons does not change their place of residence, these birds are very devoted to their nesting sites.
The usual places where birds live are the shores of various water bodies, such as rivers, lakes, streams, swamps. There is no difference, as long as there is water, even fresh, even s alty. There is only one condition when choosing a reservoir, it must be with shallow water, which serves as a kind of dining room for the heron, where it feeds.
Can a heron sing?
The gray heron, the description of which allows us to imagine a beautiful, long-legged, proud bird, unfortunately, is deprived of a voice. Simply put, she does not know how to sing, quite the contrary, from her screamsI want to close my ears. Especially if you are lucky enough to be near the colony of these unfortunate singers, they behave there very noisily. The roosting and feeding time of the chicks is accompanied by their loud cries, they also like to scream during the flight, often at dusk. Herons make hoarse, sharp and croaking sounds that are heard as "fraark". These are the songwriters!
Skillful hunter bird-heron
The whole world knows that the heron is considered the most dexterous hunter. This bird looks out for prey in shallow water. Thanks to excellent eyesight and a long beak, sharp as a dagger, the gray prey is never left without food. None of the water fry is immune from a lightning strike.
Slowly and silently a feathered predator moves along its "canteen" on the water, trying to look out for its prey. If the prey is too large, then the gray heron, without being confused, immediately hits it with its beak with force or shakes its head from side to side, trying to kill, before having dinner.
The bird swallows its prey whole head first. The diet of the gray heron is quite diverse, but it cannot be called a vegetarian. Her favorite food is fish, eels, tailless amphibians. In addition to these delicacies, the menu of herons can include: insects, reptiles, crustaceans and small rodents.
Mating season
The gray heron behaves very interestingly during the mating season. The nest is built by the male. If the birds wintered elsewhere, then the strong sex of birds arrives at the nesting area first and immediately triesmake a better nest. If there is none, the male, like a real man, will build it himself.
The next stage of the marriage ceremony is that the female, having looked after herself a male with a good "home", flies up to him, asking for a wife, but for the first time he will definitely drive her away. To achieve the location of the owner of the nest, the bride must be persistent and patient. After driving the female several times in a row, the male will finally let her into his territory. This is where such a kind of matchmaking ends, and the couple creates a family, but such a marriage lasts no longer than a year. New games and other partners are waiting for the next bird season.
Grey herons are exemplary parents
The gray heron breeds chicks only once a year, and in those rare cases when the offspring did not work out, a second attempt is made. These long-legged birds are exemplary parents, their concern for offspring is displayed at the very beginning, when the nest is being built. The "house" of the gray heron is a whole impregnable fortress, at the same time it is a reliable and cozy shelter for the chicks. The nest is very large, about 80 cm in diameter, about 60 cm high, the middle is lined with reeds and grass. A dwelling is being built at a high altitude.
Eggs are laid one by one every 2 days, 3 to 5 eggs are incubated in total. In incubation, which lasts 26 days, both father and mother take part. The newly hatched chicks are covered with gray down, plumage begins to appear in about a week.
Caring parents infor 20 days, they never leave the babies alone in the nest for a moment, nurse them in turn, so that neither rain nor the scorching sun harm the chicks. When the children want to eat, they begin to knock with small beaks on the beak of their parents. Duty dad or mom on duty regurgitate their food right into their beaks. Little gray herons begin to fly after 50-55 days.
These long-legged birds are used to being cautious and do not let a person closer than 200 m, but scientists managed to open the veil and find out a lot of interesting things from the life of the gray heron. The animal world is so beautiful and so fascinating!
