Heron

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Template:Otheruses1 {{Taxobox | color = pink | name = Herons | image = Egretta thula1.jpg | image_width = 240px | image_caption = Snowy Egret, Egretta thula. Note the chicks in the nest. | regnum = Animalia | phylum = Chordata | classis = Aves | ordo = Ciconiiformes | familia = Ardeidae | familia_authority = Leach, 1820 | subdivision_ranks = Genera | subdivision = See text. }}

The herons are wading birds in the Ardeidae family. Some are named as egrets or bitterns.

Within the family, all members of the genera, Botaurus and Ixobrychus are named as bitterns, not herons and are a definable group within the family.

However the egrets are not a biologically distinct group from the herons, and tend to be named differently because they are mainly white or have decorative plumes.

The classification of the individual heron species is fraught with difficulty, and there is still no clear consensus about the correct placement of many species into either of the two major genera, Ardea and Egretta. Although herons resemble birds in some other families, such as the storks, ibises and spoonbills, unlike these groups, they fly with their necks retracted, not outstretched.

The Boat-billed Heron is sometimes classed as a heron, and sometimes given its own family Cochlearidae.

The members of this family are all primarily associated with wetlands, and prey on fish, frogs and other aquatic species. Some, like the Cattle Egret, also take large insects, and are less tied to watery environments. Some members of this group nest colonially in trees, others, notably the bitterns, use reedbeds.

In February 2005 the Canadian scientist Dr Louis Lefebvre announced a method of measuring avian IQ in terms of their innovation in feeding habits. Herons were named among the most intelligent birds based on this scale.

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Species

The genera Ixobrychus and Botaurus are the bitterns

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See also

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External links

da:Hejrer de:Reiher eo:Ardeoj fr:Héron he:אנפתיים io:Herono ko:왜가릿과 lt:Garniniai nl:Reigers en roerdompen os:Кæсаглас pl:Czaplowate pt:Ardeidae sv:Hägrar zh:鹭科

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