Herons commonly stand with the neck bent in an S shape. They fly with the legs trailing loosely and the he.... heron (

Herons are subdivided into typical herons, night herons, and tiger herons. Best known of the typical herons are the very large, long-legged and long-necked, plain-hued, crested members of the genus Ardea especially the 130-cm (50-inch) great blue heron ( A. The typical herons also include several species of the genus (egrets); the little blue heron, Hydranassa (or Florida ) caerulea, and the Louisiana heron ( H. The black-crowned night heron ( Nycticorax nycticorax ) ranges over the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia; the Nankeen night heron ( N. Another night heron is the boat-billed heron, or boatbill ( Cochlearius cochlearius ), of Central and South America, placed by some authorities in its own family (Cochleariidae). The most primitive herons are the six species of tiger herons (formerly called tiger bitterns), shy, solitary birds with cryptic, often barred, plumage. The lined, or banded, tiger heron ( Tigrisoma lineatum ), 75 cm (30 in.) long, of central and northern S! outh America is a well-known example. heron (