Heron species. 50 interesting facts about herons. Heron: description, types and habits. Where does the heron live and what does it eat? Heron hunting
The heron is a proud, strong bird from the stork family. It belongs to the group of long-footed birds that lead a semi-aquatic lifestyle. The population has taken root well in many parts of the world; it can be found on almost any continent.
The birds have one thing in common: one way or another, all herons live near bodies of water, in deltas, and floodplains. They successfully populated swamps, reed beds, lakes, and fertile areas of wet meadows.
What do herons eat?
The main diet of the bird consists of representatives from the world of aquatic and coastal living creatures. Herons happily eat tadpoles; their diet includes a lot of fish, from fry to adult specimens. They do not disdain snakes, newts, lizards, snakes, all kinds of frogs, and toads. Their delicacies include mollusks, insects, and crustaceans.
At every opportunity, the heron is not averse to feasting on warm-blooded creatures. Their diet includes rodents, moles, and gull chicks. The quantity and quality composition of a heron's food varies depending on the characteristics of its habitat and season.
- In the lower reaches of the Syr Darya, small fish are the basis of the heron’s diet. When reservoirs dry up, birds hunt for young pike and carp. If the season is fruitful, an increase in the locust population is observed in these places. In this case, the heron completely switches to eating insects. If areas are flooded with floods in the spring, birds happily hunt gerbils.
- Near Lenkoran in the summer, local herons devour fish, frogs, cicadas, and fillies with might and main. In the steppes they hunt voles, rats, mice, and find aquatic insects near the shore, swallowing parts of marsh plants along with them. IN winter period the bird switches to young pike, carp, bream, and kutum.
- In the Astrakhan Nature Reserve, the bird feeds mainly on frogs, mice, and water rats. Does not disdain large larvae, insects, snakes.
In the middle of the swamp, a lonely “ballerina” stands motionless. Graceful, in an elegant outfit, she, like a flower on a stem, rises above the green surface of the water. What was this beauty thinking about while standing on one leg? Who is she and why is she here?
This is a heron. It's time for lunch and she's on the lookout for prey. The swamp offers a varied menu, but today is a fishing day for the feathered mademoiselle and it will certainly take place, because the heron is a successful hunter.
The life of a heron is amazing. The biologists who studied it claim that it is entirely Interesting Facts:
- More than 60 species of herons are known and described today. Their distribution area is extensive - there are many islands and almost all continents except Antarctica;
- The largest individuals are up to one and a half meters tall, and the smallest ones are up to 40 cm;
- Maximum life expectancy is 25 years.
- during migratory flights, herons were seen at an altitude of 2000 m (helicopters fly at this altitude)
- Being a semi-aquatic bird, it feeds on amphibians and fish, but never dives or swims.
- When eating a fish, the heron swallows it head first so as not to injure the esophagus;
- While waiting for prey, the heron has to stand in cold water for hours, which is why it tucks one leg in, warming it up. This "signature" stance distinguishes it from other birds.
- The heron creates shade, attracting fish. To increase the shading area, she spreads her huge wings and folds them into a dome, while lowering her head down. This technique allows you not only to attract more fish, but also to choose the best one, because the “umbrella” relieves the bird’s eyes from blinding water glare.
Appearance care
The heron, like a real fashionista, pays a lot of attention appearance and spares no time in caring for the feathers. Her “cosmetic bag” is always with her - small feathers grow all over her body - powders, which tend to break off and crumble from time to time, forming a kind of powder. Having previously combed its hair with its own finger, the bird “powders itself”, distributing fragments of fluff throughout its “clothes”. This treatment gives the plumage water-repellent properties and does not get wet.
Other birds whose life is connected with water have a coccygeal gland in the tail area. It secretes a special secret that protects the cover from getting wet. The heron has such a miracle - there is no remedy.
Caution: love
During the mating season, the heron transforms. Some of its species grow luxurious feathers called aigrettes on their backs. The color of the skin around the beak and eyes changes, as if the bird had applied makeup. The males develop the ability to sing and dance: fluffing their lacy aigrette and shaking their crest, the suitor performs ritual squats. The dance is accompanied by songs and the cracking of the beak. Such a cacophony can drive not only local young ladies crazy, but also all living things within the radius of the swamp.
Mating behavior does not leave the feathered tribesmen indifferent, and soon the charming silhouette of a friend appears on the horizon. But woe to her if she decides to get too close too soon. For such frivolity you can get punches and be expelled, so it is better to be patient and wait for the gentleman’s initiative. A paradox, and that’s all. There is an explanation for this: females and males of herons are no different in appearance. Therefore, before the male rejoices, he must make sure that it is a young lady in front of him, and not a rival competitor.
Family
Herons are considered monogamous. But can a relationship lasting one season be considered monogamous? As an exception, there are couples family life which last two years or more.
The purpose of creating a family is to have offspring. But first, the future mother and father build a nest, approaching this very rationally: so that there is no conflict of interest, the female is appointed as the architect and builder, and the male is engaged in the search and delivery of building materials.
If a strong nest from last year is in sight and it is not occupied by anyone, the family will happily repair the “secondary” one, because it is less expensive than the cost of new housing.
Waiting for offspring
Having laid eggs (usually from 2 to 7), the couple awaits the appearance of offspring. Heron eggs are unusual in appearance; they are greenish in color and oblong in shape.
Both parents do the incubation, taking turns. This is a difficult period. There are many enemies around who want to feast on eggs or chicks, but the heron will selflessly protect the clutch in case of danger and will not leave it. With her harpoon beak she is able to drive away ill-wishers from the nest.
The chicks are born within a month and the parents begin new worries.
Herons and people
Dutch herons refuted this version. They're in large quantities settled in Amsterdam and feel great in the conditions of civilization.
A huge population of these birds chose to live in the Dutch capital more than 10 years ago. The birds liked city life, and they are not going to return to the swamps.
There are no problems with food - at the markets you can always beg for a fish or two or quietly steal from the counter. But the kind residents of Amsterdam often feed their feathered neighbors themselves and do it with pleasure.
Herons roam freely around the city to the delight of the townspeople and the amazement of numerous tourists; they take photographs with pleasure, receiving tasty “fees” for photo sessions.
Europeans treat the long-legged birds that have decorated Amsterdam with warmth and love, becoming its latest attraction.
Good relations with herons did not always develop. In the century before last, beautiful birds were shot en masse by people because of the fashion for women's hats with decorations made of openwork feathers.
The scary times are over. Today the heron is not considered a rare bird, but its numbers individual species has not yet recovered.
Appearance and behavior. Large heron, body length 90–98 cm, weight 1.1–2.3 kg, wingspan 175–195 cm. The color is generally gray, sometimes very light individuals are found. During the mating season, adult birds have a thin crest on the head, and elongated feathers are noticeable at the bottom of the neck. A sedentary bird, it can stand for hours in shallow water or at the edge of reed thickets, practically without changing its position. Sometimes it is also found in dry places, where it behaves in exactly the same way. Often sits on trees, especially likes individual protruding dry branches. When in danger, it flies away and rises from the ground easily, without running, even from dense thickets. The flight is easy and leisurely; when flying in a group, gray herons often line up in a line or wedge. Active around the clock.
Description. The main color tone is ash-gray, the flight and tail feathers are almost black, there are longitudinal dark streaks on the underside of the neck, the belly is white, the sides of the body are black, standing bird A black and white spot stands out on the bend of the wing. In adult birds, the head is almost white, only a black “bandage” stretches from the eye to the back of the head, turning into a thin hanging braid. Young birds are less contrasting; their heads are grayish, with a black “cap”. The legs are greenish-gray, the beak of adult birds is yellow, pinkish during the mating season, and the eyes are yellow. Young birds have a two-color beak - the mandible is black, the mandible is yellow. The chicks' down is light gray. Flying gray herons are clearly distinguishable from red-headed herons by their contrasting wing colors (light gray and black) and longer legs.
Distribution, status. The breeding range covers a significant part of Eurasia and Africa. In European Russia, the heron is the most widespread, found from Karelia in the north to the Black Sea coast in the south. In the middle zone - migrant, sometimes winters in the south, in last years Winter meetings also appeared near Moscow. It is common, although not numerous, in the south in many places it is inferior in number to other species of herons - for example, or. In spring it arrives very early; the first birds can be seen near the colonies even when there is snow all around and the water bodies are covered with ice. Flies late, some birds linger almost until freeze-up.
Lifestyle. It settles in various bodies of water, usually nesting in colonies - mainly in trees, as well as in flooded bushes or reed thickets. Colonies can be located in the forest at a distance of up to several kilometers from the reservoir. Colonies vary in size; several hundred pairs can nest together in the south of the region. The nests, like those of other herons, are shaped like an inverted cone with translucent walls through which the eggs are clearly visible. When nesting in trees and bushes, the main building material is thin, dry twigs and branches. The nests are extremely light, so they are supported by thin tree branches and reed stems.
They form pairs for life. The clutch contains 3–5 greenish-blue eggs, the size of a chicken or slightly larger. It is mainly the female who incubates the clutch. Newborn chicks are completely helpless, but sighted. Adult birds feed them by regurgitating semi-digested food. The chicks rise to their feet approximately 2 weeks after hatching. In strong winds, grown chicks often fall out of nests located in trees. In this case, they are almost certainly doomed to death, since the parents do not feed the chicks outside the nest, and they are not able to return there on their own, not being able to fly.
