Grey Heron

Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) is a large long-legged heron with a grey back, white head and neck, and a broad black stripe extending into a crest. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct field comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

It frequents lakes, rivers, ponds, marshes and coasts, standing motionless or stalking through shallow water before striking at fish and other aquatic animals. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant or visitor (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).