Herons of North America make their homes in marshy wetlands, swamps, rivers and lakes. Herons are predators; hunting for fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects and small mammals. Herons may use items already in place, or actively add items to the water to attract fish such as the banded killifish. ), waterbirds (sometimes up to the size of a Coot) and Crayfish. The body weight can range from 1.02–2.08 kg (2.2–4.6 lb). The grey heron is a large bird, standing up to 100 cm (39 in) tall and measuring 84–102 cm (33–40 in) long with a 155–195 cm (61–77 in) wingspan. All collected regurgitated items were classified as partly digested (mostly fish with digested heads) or undi-gested. Habitat. White-faced herons are carnivores, they eat mainly fish, crustaceans and worms. White-fronted heron, incorrectly: Grey heron or Blue crane Kingdom Animalia. They are drawn to these environments because of their diet, which consists of fish, aquatic insects, frogs, turtles and crustaceans. Diet and Nutrition. A great egret manipulating its prey, a lizard, prior to swallowing. Diet and feeding; Breeding; City life; Predators; In human culture; Images for kids; Description. They will also eat rats, mice, small reptiles, frogs, eels, grasshoppers, spiders, beetles, caterpillars, flies and aquatic insects, as well as their larvae. Grey Herons mostly feed on fish, frogs and insects; but they also may take reptiles, small mammals, and small birds, such as ducklings, tern chicks, young and adult snipes, plovers and the nestlings of warblers. They are also opportunistic which means they are very unlikely to pass up the chance of an easy meal. Head, with neck retracted . Great Blue herons are carnivores (piscivores), they eat mainly fish, but also frogs, salamanders, snakes, lizards, young birds, small mammals, crabs, shrimp, crayfish, dragonflies, and grasshoppers, as well as many aquatic invertebrates. Grey Heron diet composition was determined using regurgitated food and pellets collected in the colony in 2008–09. Although the Grey Heron lives on a diet consisting mainly of fish and eels, it will take aquatic insects, crustaceans, molluscs, crabs, amphibians, snakes, small birds, and small mammals, all of which it catches for itself, though it is not above stooping to occasional acts of piracy – robbing other herons of their hard-won food. This particular species of heron has a wide geographic distribution from Europe and Southern Africa to far east Asia. Diet They are found near most shallow water bodies. Diet and Nutrition. The Grey heron feeds mostly on fish, but depending on the season and what is available, it also may eat amphibians, crustaceans, aquatic invertebrates, mollusks, snakes, small birds and rodent, and sometimes some plants. Although the Grey Heron lives on a diet consisting mainly of fish and eels, it will take aquatic insects, crustaceans, molluscs, crabs, amphibians, snakes, small birds, and small mammals, all of which it catches for itself, though it is not above stooping to occasional acts of piracy – robbing other herons of their hard-won food.
Some species of heron, such as the little egret and grey heron, have been documented using bait to lure prey to within striking distance. Prey is swallowed whole but digestion is so efficient that only a creamy grey paste is present in faeces.
The herons and bitterns are carnivorous. The Heron Conservation resource estimated Great Blue heron populations of more than 35,000 birds in the 1970s along the east and south North American coast, but now the nesting population just in Louisiana numbers over 10,000 individuals and has been increasing. The Grey Heron, is distinguished from other herons by their grey flanks, and black and white patterning along the neck, head and breast of the body. Birds in the heron family are physically adapted to be efficient hunters. Diet / Feeding. Their graceful body types enable them to patiently pursue and swiftly capture their prey. Grey Herons Ardea cinerea eat mainly fish but occasionally take birds, mammals and invertebrates (Cramp & Simmons 1977). The largest birds these herons are recorded to have attempted to feed on are White-throated Rails. A tall, often solitary bird, the grey heron is one of the UK's most familiar birds. It feeds mainly on fish, but also eats small mammals (even Moles! The colony area was searched for pellets and regurgitated prey during weekly visits throughout the chick-rearing period (May–July) in 2008 and 2009.