Gray/Purple Heron vs Species code: He

Ardea cinerea compared with Halophila engelmannii

Key Differences

• Gray/Purple Heron is Least Concern while Species code: He is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Gray/Purple Heron	Species code: He
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Liliopsida (Monocots)
Order	Pelecaniformes (Pelecaniformes)	Alismatales (Alismatales)
Family	Ardeidae	Hydrocharitaceae
Genus	Ardea	Halophila
Species	Ardea cinerea	Halophila engelmannii

Conservation Status

Gray/Purple Heron

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Species code: He

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Gray/Purple Heron	Species code: He
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	15 years	—
Average Length	95 cm	—
Average Weight	1.5 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Gray/Purple Heron

Habitat

Typically found in diverse ecosystems where prey species are available.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries).

Species code: He

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Found in Cuba. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Gray/Purple Heron

A large, elegant wading bird reaching up to 1 meter in height, gray herons inhabit wetlands, rivers, lakes, and coastal areas across Europe, Asia, and Africa. Patient, solitary hunters, they stand motionless for long periods before striking fish, frogs, and small mammals with lightning-fast dagger bill strikes. They nest colonially in tall trees in rookeries called heronries, sometimes shared with other colonial waterbirds. Widely distributed and of Least Concern globally.