Herons
A great blue heron; obviously a heron. A green heron; also obviously a heron. But a great egret; yes, it’s another heron. What about an American bittern? Yup, turns out it’s also a heron. I’ve ended up with more heron photos than I realized.
All the above species are considered herons in the family Ardeidae. The American bittern is in the subfamily Botaurinae, genus Botaurus. The green herons are similarly classified. I’m not sure if the bird captured in some of my photos is a black-crowned night-heron or an American bittern; maybe even a yellow-crowned night-heron. Great blue herons and great egrets are in a different subfamily, the Ardeinae, and the genus Ardea.
Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Herons
Green Herons
American Bitterns
Great Egrets
“It is not our diversity which divides us; it is not our ethnicity, or religion or culture that divides us. Since we have achieved our freedom, there can only be one division amongst us: between those who cherish democracy and those who do not.”
— Nelson Mandela