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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Ardeidae
  4. ›
  5. Ardea
  6. ›
  7. Grey Heron

BirdUp · Species

Grey Heron

Ardea cinereaLinnaeus, 1758

Origin: Native
Order
PELECANIFORMES
Family
Ardeidae
Genus
Ardea

At a glance

The Grey Heron, native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Origin
Native
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Local
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

The grey heron is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia, and also parts 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.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Grey Heron?

The Grey Heron is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Grey Heron live in Australia?

The Grey Heron is native to Australia, recorded across 2 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingPAL, AF, OR : widespread

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Breeding
  • Vagrant

5 regions recorded