208 BIRDS OF EUROPE AND NORTH AFRICA 



Ardea. 



Large; never altogether white; bill strong, straight, 

 pointed: occiput crested or with a few long narrow feathers; 

 scapulars long but not to tip of wing ; frequent rivers, lakes, 

 sea-shore, etc., feed on fish, frogs, insects; breed in colonies 

 on ground or trees ; eggs pale blue-green. 



Ardea cinerea cinerea L. Common Heron. Fr. Heron 

 huppe ; Gcr. Fischreiher ; Ital. Airone cenerino ; Sived. Gra 

 Hager. 



$ $ General colour grey ; crown white, black at sides ; 

 central line of throat and chest white with black stripes, sides 

 of abdomen black, centre white ; feathers of nape, lower neck, 

 breast and scapulars elongated. Bill brown above, yellow below. 

 Bare space round eye and iris yellow. Legs and ftet greenish 

 brown. Wing 445-470. Tarsus 135-152. Bill 109-120. 



Breeds. — British Isles ; Continental Europe from 64'' N. in 

 Norway and 60° in Russia to Mediterranean ; Egypt, N.W. 

 Africa, Azores, Madeira and Canaries ; also widely in Asia and 

 Africa. Migratory in northern part of its breeding range, birds 

 from N. Europe wintering in Mediterranean Basin and Africa. 

 Resident in Britain. 



Ardea purpurea purpurea L. Purple Heron. Fr. 

 Heron pourpre ; Ger. Purpurreiher ; Ital. Airone rosso. 



<^ $ Above grey, scapulars with cinnamon tips ; crown of 

 elongated feathers, line down sides of neck, centre of breast 

 and abdomen black ; lower dorsal neck plumes creamy streaked 

 black ; sides of breast and abdomen maroon. Bill brownish 

 yellow. Legs and feet dark brown in front, yellowish behind. 

 Iris golden yellow. Wing 340-383. Tarsus 108-135. Lill 

 123-146. Young: no long plumes on crown, general colour 

 reddish brown or dark buff, crown chestnut; neck and breast 

 striated dark grey, throat white. 



Breeds. — Locally in Europe south from Holland, France and 

 Hungary ; in S. Russia north to Pinsk Marshes and 48° on 

 Volga ; also widely in W. and C. Asia and all Africa, including 

 north. In Europe chiefly migratory ; occasionally occurs to north of 

 breeding range, even to S. Sweden, rare wanderer to British Isles. 



