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BIRDS OF AMERICA 



HERON FAMILY 



Order Herodioiics: suborder Hcrodii; family Ardeida 



S hungry as a Heron " is a simile which should mean much to a student of 

 birds, for Herons as a class are gaunt and voracious creatures who always 

 seem to be half famished, and actually are more or less emaciated, no matter 

 how plentiful is their food supply. Structurally the family is characterized 

 by the possession of four toes, with the hind one on the same plane as the 

 three front ones, and the claw of the middle one equipped with a comb-like 

 process on the inner side; a slender body, long neck, and a long and sharply 

 pointed bill; comparatively long but noticeably rounded wings; and a bare 

 space about the eyes and on the sides of the head. There is great variation 

 in the plumage, which is free and pliable, and is likely to be extended on 

 the back, as in the case of the beautiful nuptial plumes of the Egrets. On 

 the abdomen, rump, and certain other parts are curious patches of down which are char- 

 acteristic of the family. 



Several of the American Herons are gregarious during the breeding period, when large 

 colonies place their bulky nests near together in tree-tops; but in their feeding habits they 

 usually are solitary. Some species capture their prey by standing motionless and waiting 

 for it to come within reach ; others pursue on foot frogs, crawfish, and the like in shallow water. 

 Their flight is deliberate, but powerful and certain, and is accomplished by incessant flap- 

 ping, and little or no sailing or soaring. Unlike the Cranes and Ibises, the Herons in flight 

 carry the neck folded and the head drawn in near the shoulders. Their eggs number from 

 three or four to six, are unspotted and are whitish or bluish-green in color. Of the true 

 Herons there are about twelve species, which are from one foot to four feet and more in 

 length. The family is represented in virtually all parts of the North American continent 

 excepting the regions of continuous cold or drought. 



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Drawing by R I. Brasher 



BITTERN (1 nat. size) 

 It is an adept at concealment 



