Grey Heron

The Grey Heron is a large wading bird, it’s very common throughout Ireland and is found throughout Europe, Africa and western Asia. It is known in some parts of the country, erroneously, as the "Crane"; in fact, this name really refers to an even larger species, once common in Ireland though extinct here for many years as a breeding species.

Herons feed on fish, frogs, newts, insects, small mammals like mice and voles, and even ducklings.

The heron is a large bird – about 1m in length with a wingspan of up to 2m. It has long legs for wading in shallow water, a long neck and a long sharp beak.