Heron

“Heron is the common name of birds of the genus Ardea. The herons are distinguished by having a long bill cleft beneath the eyes, a compressed body, long slender legs naked above the tarsal joint, three toes in front, the two outer united by a membrane, and by moderate wings. The tail is short, rounded, and composed of 10 or 12 feathers. The common heron is about three feet in length from the point of the bill to the end of the tail, builds its nest in high trees, many being sometimes on one tree. Its food consists of fish, frogs, mollusks, mice, moles, and similar small animals. It has an insatiable voracity, and digests its food with great rapidity. It haunts fresh water streams, marshes, ponds, and lakes, as also the seashore."—(Charles Leonard-Stuart, 1911)

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