(Ardea cinerea)(Adult in Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur)

Size(80-100cm): It is a pretty large and handsome wader.

(adult with crest visible)

Habitat: Lakes, ponds, jheels, marshes, river banks.

Area: All India till about 3900m in Ladakh.

(adult in Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur)

My two words: Grey heron is ash grey above with long, white neck. There is a black stripe over the eye which continues to become a large crest. The crown and underparts are all white. The iris is yellow.

(Grey Heron with its long black crest)

They are generally solitary until the breeding time.

The nests are build on high trees where 3-5 bluish green eggs are laid. Both the parents taken to incubate the eggs for about 25-30 days.

One problem is that the juveniles die during their first winter and only a few are able to survive.

(immature in Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur)

The diet mainly comprises of fish, crustaceans and other molluscs.

~Arjun Basandrai