What are Herons?

About Heron: 

 

• These are any of about 60 species of long-legged wading birds.
• These are classified in the family Ardeidae (order Ciconiiformes) and generally including several species usually called egrets.
• The Ardeidae also include the bitterns (subfamily Botaurinae).
• These are widely distributed over the world but are most common in the tropics.
• They usually feed while wading quietly in the shallow waters of pools, marshes, and swamps, catching frogs, fishes, and other aquatic animals.
• They nest in rough platforms of sticks constructed in bushes or trees near water; the nests usually are grouped in colonies called heronries.

 

Significance of the Heronry count

• Heronry counts aims at counting ‘apparently occupied nests’ of herons, egrets, and other colonial waterbirds.
• This is regarded as an effective and accurate way to determine the breeding population of waterbirds in an area.
• Being one of the top predators in the aquatic food chain, monitoring their population can indicate the health of the aquatic ecosystem, freshwater as well as brackish water.

 

---

Q1) What are marshes?

Marshes are wetlands characterized by shallow, often stagnant water and an abundance of grasses, reeds, and other water-loving vegetation. They can be found in various locations around the world, including along coastlines, in river valleys, and even in inland areas.

Source: Heronries are thriving in Thiruvananthapuram district, says a WWF survey