About Wading Birds . . . .

Wading birds live in lakes, ponds, marshes, mudflats, flooded areas and swamps. Wading birds include herons, egrets, bitterns, ibises, coots, moorhens, rails and cranes.

Wading birds have physical and behavioral traits for living on or near water and they depend on water as a source of food, shelter and nesting sites.

All Wading birds have long thin legs and long agile toes. Most Wading birds have long bills with specialized shapes depending of the types of food they eat. Their diets include fish, amphibians, invertebrates and plants.

When searching for food they don’t swim or dive to catch food, they wade into shallow water. Physically they are perfect for this type of environment. Long thin toes disperse their weight keeping them from sinking into soft mud, long legs keep their feather dry when searching for food and a long neck makes it possible to strike prey that is on the other end of their long legs.

Wading birds are patient hunters as they may stand motionless for long periods of time waiting for prey to come within reach. Their steps are slow and deliberate when moving so they don’t scare their prey. Some birds also hide in the marsh vegetation waiting for unsuspecting prey to come along.

I will be adding more species of Wading Birds as I am able to see them and photograph them so check back later to see my new photos of these birds.

Bittern

American Bittern

Texas

Texas

Texas

Cranes

Sandhill Crane

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Whooping Crane

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Egrets

Cattle Egret (Eastern)

Adult

Australia

Breeding

Australia

Adult

Australia

Adult

Australia

Adult

Australia

Breeding

Australia

Cattle Egret (Western)

Juvenile

Texas

Breeding

Texas

Adult

Texas

Great Egret

California

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Little Egret

Vietnam

Thailand

Medium Egret

Vietnam

Vietnam

Reddish Egret

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Snowy Egret

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Flamingo

American Flamingo

Bonaire

Bonaire

Bonaire

Bonaire

Bonaire

Bonaire

Gallinule

Common Gallinule

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Purple Gallinule

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Heron

Chinese Pond Heron

Thailand

Thailand

Vietnam

Grey Heron

Germany

Germany

Denmark

Denmark

England

Great Blue Heron

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Green Heron

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Little Blue Heron

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Pied Heron

Australia

Australia

Australia

Australia

Tri-colored Heron

Juvenile

Texas

Adult

Texas

Breeding

Texas

Adult

Texas

Adult

Texas

Adult

Texas

Ibis

Australian Ibis

Australia

Australia

Australia

Black-headed Ibis

Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam

Glossy Ibis

Australia

Scarlet Ibis

Adult

Trinidad

Adult

Trinidad

Roosting

Trinidad

White Ibis

Adult

Texas

Juvenile

Texas

Adult

Texas

Adult

Texas

Adult

Texas

Juvenile

Texas

White-faced Ibis

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Limpkin

Limpkin

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Moorhen

Dusky Moorhen

Australia

Australia

Australia

Australia

Australia

Eurasian Moorhen

Germany

Germany

Germany

Germany

Germany

Night-heron

Black-crowned Night-heron

Adult

Hawaii

Juvenile

Hawaii

Adult

Taiwan

Adult

Taiwan

Group

Texas

Yellow-crowned Night-heron

Adult

Texas

Adult

Texas

Adult

Texas

Adult

Texas

Juvenile

Texas

Juvenile

Texas

Rails

Clapper Rail

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

King Rail

Texas

Texas

Texas

Sora (Rail)

Arizona

Arizona

Arizona

Arizona

Arizona

Virginia Rail

Texas

Texas

Texas

Spoonbill

Roseate Spoonbill

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Yellow-billed Spoonbill

Australia

Australia

Stork

Asian Openbilled Stork

Thailand

Thailand

Thailand

Thailand

Thailand

Thailand

Black-necked Stork

Australia

Australia

Australia

Lesser Adjutant Stork

Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam

Painted Stork

Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam

Wood Stork

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Texas

Swamphen

Australasian Swamphen

Australia

Australia

Australia

Australia

Australia

Gray-headed Swamphen

Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam

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