Grey Heron
Ardea cinerea
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPelecaniformes (Pelicaniformes)
- FamilyArdeidae (Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns)
- GenusArdea (Great Herons and Egrets)
- SpeciesArdea cinerea (Grey Heron)
The grey heron (Ardea cinerea) 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. Standing up to 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) tall, adults weigh from 1 to 2 kg (2 to 4 lb). They have a white head and neck with a broad black stripe that extends from the eye to the black crest. Wikipedia →
70–80% of wildlife watchers report a Grey Heron sighting in Keoladeo National Park, based on 1,499 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Keoladeo National Park
Purple Heron
Ardea purpurea
Great Egret
Ardea alba
Ardea modesta
Ardea modesta
Indian Pond Heron
Ardeola grayii
Little Egret
Egretta garzetta
intermediate egret
Egretta intermedia
Black-crowned Night Heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
Striated Heron
Butorides striata
Black-headed Ibis
Threskiornis melanocephalus
Glossy Ibis
Plegadis falcinellus
Eurasian Spoonbill
Platalea leucorodia
Great White Pelican
Pelecanus onocrotalus
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Grey Heron in Keoladeo National Park?
About 79% of wildlife watchers report a Grey Heron sighting in Keoladeo National Park, based on 1,499 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Grey Heron in Keoladeo National Park?
April has the highest sighting rate for Grey Heron in Keoladeo National Park in our monthly data.