** The Heron is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae and an important symbol for many cultures. With the ibis and the stork, the heron is a snake killer and all three are therefore regarded as anti-satanic. The opposition of heron and serpent occurs in Cambodian folk-beliefs. As a Chinese symbol it represents strength, patience, purity, and long life. In Egypt the Heron is honoured as the creator of light. In Africa, the Heron was thought to communicate with the Gods. For most Native American tribes the heron is a symbol of wisdom.
** The Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) is native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in the milder south and west, but many birds retreat in winter from the ice in colder regions. It has become common in summer even inside the Arctic circle along the Norwegian coast.
** The Great Egret (Ardea alba) also known as the Great White Egret, or Common Egret, is a wading egret, found in most of the tropical and warmer temperate parts of the world, although it is very local in southern Europe and Asia. It is sometimes confused with the Great White Heron in Florida, which is a white morph of the Great Blue Heron.
** The Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) is a small white heron. It is the American counterpart to the very similar Old World Little Egret. Adults are typically 61 cm long and weigh 375 g. They have a slim black bill and long black legs with yellow feet. The area of the upper bill, in front of the eyes, is yellow but turns red during the breeding season, when the adults also gain recurved plumes on the back, making for a "shaggy" effect.
** The Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) is a medium-large, long-legged, heron with a long pointed blue or greyish bill with a black tip. It breeds from the Gulf states of the USA through Central America and the Caribbean south to Peru and Uruguay. Its breeding habitat is sub-tropical swamps. It nests in colonies, often with other herons, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. It is about 60 cm long, with a 102 cm wingspan, and weighs 325 g.
** Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
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