The Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) is the large, long-legged fish-hunter that stands motionless at the water's edge before striking with a lightning-fast thrust of the neck — the only heron species that occurs regularly across most of Sweden. It measures 90–100 cm long, with a wingspan of 175–195 cm and a weight of 1.0–2.1 kg, showing a grey body, a pale neck streaked black at the front, and a white crown bordered by a black cap trailing into long, slender nape plumes. The bill is strong and yellowish, the legs long, and in flight the broad, cupped wings and neck folded into a distinctive S-shape distinguish it from the Crane, which flies with its neck outstretched.
Its most familiar call is a harsh, raw "frrraaank" given when flushed, though breeding colonies ring with croaking and bill-clacking from adults and begging young. Grey Herons nest colonially, often high in pines and sometimes in reed beds, building large stick nests reused for decades; the female lays 3–5 eggs incubated by both parents for around 25–26 days. Found throughout Sweden except the mountains, with a population of roughly 5,000–8,000 pairs that has expanded northward in recent decades, the species is largely resident, hunting fish, frogs, small rodents and large insects by standing still or wading slowly before striking. When lakes and rivers freeze it turns to hunting voles on open fields far from water, though harsh winters with prolonged ice can hit the population hard, causing wintering numbers to vary between years.
Read about this species in Swedish →