Diable de mer vs héron cendré

Mobula mobular compared with Ardea cinerea

Key Differences

• Diable de mer is Endangered while héron cendré is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Diable de mer	héron cendré
Kingdom same	Animalia (animal)	Animalia (animal)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Elasmobranchii	Aves (oiseau)
Order	Myliobatiformes (Myliobatiformes)	Pelecaniformes (Pelecaniformes)
Family	Myliobatidae	Ardeidae
Genus	Mobula	Ardea
Species	Mobula mobular	Ardea cinerea

Evolutionary Relationship

Diable de mer and héron cendré share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Diable de mer

EN — Endangered

héron cendré

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Diable de mer	héron cendré
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	95 cm
Average Weight	—	1.5 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Diable de mer

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found in Portugal. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

héron cendré

Habitat

Typically found in diverse ecosystems where prey species are available.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries).

héron cendré

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.