The herons and bitterns (family Ardeidae) number 62 species. They are large wading-birds with long legs and necks. Most species have a long pointed beak. The long neck consists of 16-20 vertebrae and is extremely flexible. The mainstay of their diet is fish; they shoot their necks out like a coiled spring, grasping the fish with their beaks. In flight the neck is bent into an S, unlike the storks, which fly with neck outstretched. The plumage is comparatively thin and simple in pattern and color. Although the preen gland is well developed, an important role in the care of the plumage is played by the patches of powder-down feathers which continually fray at the tip into powder. These birds are distributed throughout the whole world, with the exception of several far-flung islands.

The herons and bitterns family include these species: common or grey heron, purple heron, squacco heron, little egret, snowy egret, great white heron (great egret), cattle egret, black-crowned night heron, Eurasian bittern, little bittern, and least bittern.