Herons are tall birds with long slender legs and necks. And they often wade in the water when hunting for food. Yet there are several other types of birds that may be mistaken for them. To make things more confusing many of these birds also spend time in the water and have similar physical features. So here’s a list of the birds that look like herons to help you tell them apart.
Egrets
Egrets are commonly mistaken for herons. This is understandable because both herons and most egret species belong to the heron family known as Ardeidae. In fact, the difference between egrets and herons is not biological and there is no clear distinction.
Birds that are considered egrets typically are totally white in color or develop plumes when they are in breeding plumage. The great egret, in particular, is often misidentified as the great white heron, an all-white phase of the great blue heron. Both herons and egrets fly with their S-shaped necks pulled back.
Cranes
While they may look like herons with their long legs and necks, cranes are from the family of birds Gruidae. There are fifteen species of cranes one of which is the well-known and endangered whooping crane which also happens to be the tallest bird in North America.
Cranes can be found on all continents in the world except for South America and Antarctica. When flying, cranes can be differentiated from herons by the fact that they fly with their necks outstretched.
Storks
Storks are large tall birds with robust bills. There are nineteen species of storks all of which belong to the family Ciconiidae. Unlike herons which live in wetland habitats, storks often reside in areas that are much drier.
Storks are known for their wide wingspans. In fact, the marabou stork has the widest wingspan (along with the Andean condor) in the world at around a maximum width of ten feet. Unlike herons, storks fly with their necks outstretched.
Ibises
Ibises belong to the family Threskiornithidae. There are twenty-eight species of ibises and all of them have downward-curving beaks. They use their curved beaks to help them find crustaceans in the mud. While they may look like herons which are generally solitary feeders, ibises in contrast feed in groups. Ibises also always fly with their necks outstretched.
Spoonbills
Like ibises, spoonbills are in the family Threskiornithidae. These wading water birds have extremely unique-looking bills which are straight but have a rounded disk at the end similar to that of a spoon.
Their bills are designed to help them catch fish, insects, crustaceans, and other aquatic creatures as they sweep them from side to side under the water. Like many of the other birds that look like herons, spoonbills can be differentiated from them when they’re flying since they only fly with their necks outstretched.
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