Ardea cinerea; grey heron

Japanese: アオサギ（英語表記）Ardea cinerea; grey heron

Order Pelecaniformes, family Heronidae. Total length 84-102cm. It is the largest of all the herons found in Japan, with a long, sharp beak, long neck, and long legs. Its back is gray, the upper part of the wings is blue-gray, and the belly is gray-white. Its neck has blue-black vertical stripes, and the back of its head has long blue-black ornamental feathers. Unlike cranes and storks, which stretch their necks straight, this species flies with a relaxed, S-shaped wing. It lies in wait on the coast, in rice fields, in ponds, and in swamps, or approaches slowly to catch fish, frogs, crayfish, shellfish, etc. It breeds widely from temperate to tropical regions of Eurasia, and is also found in the UK, Japan, Sri Lanka, Africa, and Madagascar, where it nests in groups in trees. It inhabits all over Japan, but in Hokkaido it is a summer bird that comes to breed, and in areas south of Kyushu it is a winter bird that spends the winter (→migratory birds). In other areas it is a resident bird.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

ペリカン目サギ科。全長 84～102cm。日本に分布するサギ類中最も大きな体，長く鋭い嘴，長い頸，長い脚をもつ。背面が灰色で，翼上面は青灰色，腹部は灰白色。頸には青黒色の縦斑があり，後頭部には青黒色の長い飾り羽がある。頸をまっすぐ伸ばすツルやコウノトリと違い，S字状に曲げてゆったりとはばたいて飛ぶ。海岸，水田，池，沼で，待ち伏せをするかゆっくり近づいて魚，カエル，ザリガニ，貝などをくわえとる。ユーラシア大陸の温帯から熱帯に広く繁殖分布するほか，イギリス，日本，スリランカ，アフリカ，マダガスカル島にも分布しており，集団で樹上に営巣する。日本では全国に生息するが，北海道では繁殖のためにやってくる夏鳥で，九州地方以南では越冬する冬鳥である（→渡り鳥）。そのほかの地域では留鳥である。

出典　ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典について　情報

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