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Herons, Egrets & Bitterns of the United Kingdom

17 herons, egrets and bitterns recorded in the United Kingdom on the eBird network and profiled in the Birbs encyclopedia — the full list, with photos, sounds and ID notes, plus what's near you now.

By Birbs Editorial Updated 2 min read
American Bittern
Photo: Walter Siegmund / CC BY 2.5 (Wikimedia Commons)

17 herons, egrets and bitterns have been recorded in the United Kingdom on eBird, the global citizen-science database run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and carry a full profile in the Birbs encyclopedia. Every bird below is a member of this group — the family Ardeidae. Start with the well-known species, browse the complete list, then check which are being reported near you right now.

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Herons, Egrets & Bitterns of the United Kingdom to know first

The full list — 17 herons, egrets and bitterns of the United Kingdom in our library

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Herons, Egrets & Bitterns in other regions

Species and counts come from the eBird network; "recorded" means reported by birders to eBird. Family grouping follows the IOC World Bird List. Tap any bird for its full profile.

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Frequently asked questions

How many herons, egrets and bitterns are found in the United Kingdom?

17 herons, egrets and bitterns that we profile appear on the United Kingdom's eBird-reported checklist. The full A–Z list is on this page; the real total can shift as eBird records are added.

Are all of these herons, egrets and bitterns really found there?

Yes — each one is on the United Kingdom's eBird checklist (reported by birders to the Cornell Lab's eBird), and each of these herons, egrets and bitterns belongs to the family group named on this page. We don't rank them by abundance, because that varies by season and locale.

Where can I see herons, egrets and bitterns in the United Kingdom right now?

Use Birds Near You for live, location-based reports, or turn on rare-bird alerts to hear when a notable one shows up close to you.

Sources & further reading

  1. eBird / Cornell Lab of Ornithology (opens in a new tab)
  2. IOC World Bird List (family taxonomy) (opens in a new tab)
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