Ardea cinerea
Identification suggestions (from the community or from AI) and the information here may be wrong; this app never confirms that anything is safe to eat. Do not consume wild plants, mushrooms or seafood without expert confirmation. Nothing here is medical advice.
Never try to pick up an injured heron: it uncoils its long neck and drives the dagger bill straight at the face and eyes, and it is one of the commonest causes of eye injuries among wildlife rescuers. Cover it with a thick cloth and call wildlife authorities.
Ask an adult
Broad black stripe running above the eye of the white head and trailing into a drooping crest
Grey upperparts with a black shoulder patch and a line of dark streaks down the front of the neck
Flies with the neck folded back into an S and the legs trailing, unlike storks and spoonbills which fly neck outstretched
Stands motionless in the shallows for minutes, then strikes once with the dagger bill
Long straight yellowish dagger bill that turns orange at the start of the breeding season
A harsh croaking kraank, usually given as it takes off and audible from far away
