heron

Everyday

A tall bird with long legs, a long neck and a long sharp beak, which stands still in shallow water to catch fish and frogs. tree →

In the lessons

In science and nature lessons: herons are wading birds; they hunt by waiting very still and then striking fast. Found in rivers, lakes and marshes in many countries; the grey heron and the great blue heron are common. Phrases: «a grey heron», «a great blue heron».

Examples

• A heron stood very still in the shallow water. tree →
• The heron caught a fish with its long beak. tree →
• We saw a grey heron by the river. tree →
• Herons fly with their necks pulled back in an S shape. tree →
• A heron ate all the fish from our garden pond! tree →
• The great blue heron is common in North America. tree →
• ‘What do you do yourself?’ asked the heron. tree →

Note

Countable: a heron, herons. Pronounced HER-un. Herons are often confused with storks and cranes, which look similar.

In Jewish tradition

The heron is one of the birds listed as unclean and not to be eaten.

Interpretation. The rabbis took this list as a sign for which birds are forbidden, and listed the forbidden kinds rather than the permitted.

Examples

• and the stork, and the heron after its kinds, and the hoopoe, and the bat. (Torah LEV.11.19, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Countable: a heron, herons. Pronounced HER-un. Herons are often confused with storks and cranes, which look similar.