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The white-faced heron (Egretta novaehollandiae) also known as the white-fronted heron, [2] and incorrectly as the grey heron, [3] or blue crane, [2] is a common bird throughout most of Australasia, including New Guinea, the islands of Torres Strait, Indonesia, New Zealand, and all but the driest areas of Australia.
Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 74 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genus Botaurus are referred to as bitterns, and, together with the zigzag heron , or zigzag bittern, in the monotypic genus Zebrilus , form a ...
Many egrets are members of the genera Egretta or Ardea, which also contain other species named as herons rather than egrets. The distinction between a heron and an egret is rather vague, and depends more on appearance than biology. The word "egret" comes from the French word aigrette that means both "silver heron" and "brush", referring to the ...
Syrigma Ridgway, 1878 – whistling heron: whistling heron, Syrigma sibilatrix; Egretta T. Forster, 1817 – typical egrets: Pied heron, Egretta picata; White-faced heron, Egretta novaehollandiae; Reddish egret, Egretta rufescens; Black heron, Egretta ardesiaca; Slaty egret, Egretta vinaceigula; Tricolored heron, Egretta tricolor – also known ...
The great egret was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Ardea alba. He specified the type locality as Europe. [6] [7] The scientific name comes from Latin ardea, "heron", and alba, "white". [8] Like all egrets, it is a member of the heron family ...
Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns tend to be shorter necked and more wary. Members of Ardeidae fly with their necks retracted, unlike other long-necked birds such as storks, ibises and spoonbills.
The eastern great egret (Ardea alba modesta) is a species of heron from the genus Ardea, usually considered a subspecies of the great egret (A. alba). In New Zealand it is known as the white heron or by its Māori name kōtuku. It was first described by British ornithologist John Edward Gray in 1831.
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.