Resources on Identifying Ardeidae
ⓘ As of right now this journal post is lacking in info for bitterns. I have plans to create a section for them in the future.
Special thanks to @cerw8384 for providing me with helpful info and feedback!
Ardeidae is a family of wading birds belonging to the order Pelecaniformes, specifically covering herons, egrets and bitterns. In the past few years I have developed an intense fascination with these birds and began an autodidactic journey on how to identify them. Below is a collection of resources and general info I’ve found useful.
Be aware that this list does not contain everything there is to know about heron identification and some sources may be less academic than others. This simply serves to provide more accessibility on a wide subject!
List of Guides
I have decided to separate these by genus rather than something like continental regions in order to more easily organize the differences between certain species that are only identifiable via location and breeding plumage, as well as the possibility of vagrant birds found out of their natural range.
For easier viewing, I have added the date uploaded for websites that contain it.
Things to keep in mind:
General Guides
HeronConservation Guide (This is one of my favorites, and I heavily reccomend it!)
Birds of the World: Ardeidae (Internet Archive)
Date: 1984
The Herons Handbook (Internet Archive)
Date: December 8, 2016
'What’s that White Egret sp?'
Great Herons (Ardea)
ⓘ Intermediate Egret was split into Medium, Plumed and Yellow-billed Egret in October of 2023, so any links created before then may have outdated info.
ⓘ Cattle Egrets (formerly Bubulcus) were moved to Ardea in October of 2024. Related links have been relocated here.
Intermediate vs. Great Egret (This site has a good visual guide on comparing gape lengths).
Date: November 14, 2013
Intermediate Egret (complex) vs Cattle Egret (complex) vs Great Egret
Date: October 22, 2014
'Intermediate and Great White Egrets'
Date: January 2022
Taxonomic Revision & Identification of Intermediate Egret Complex
Date: 2011
'Subspecfic identication and status of Cattle Egret'
David Sibley guide on Eastern and Western Cattle Egret
Photo of GWHE and GREG side-by-side for comparison
Pond Herons (Ardeola)
Date: Feburary 17, 2014
Pond Herons
Date: April 30, 2019
Chinese Pond-heron – plumage transition/changes
Green-backed Herons (Butorides)
ⓘ Striated Heron was split into Striated Heron (B. striata), Lava Heron (B. sundevalli) and Little Heron (B. atricapilla) in October of 2025, so any links created before then may have outdated info.
Date: August 28, 2023
Striated Heron - BirdForum Opus
Date: December 2018
Plumage variation in Green Heron in the polymorphic Caribbean population
Date: Feburary 2013
Variation and hybridization in Green Heron (Butorides virescens) and Striated Heron (B. striata) in central Panama, with comments on species limits
Small Herons (Egretta)
Date: August 18, 2012
Distinguishing immature (white) Little Blue Heron from Snowy Egret
Date: June 8, 2024
Dimorphic Egret – Meet this East African mystery bird
Date: January 2, 2017
Dark egrets can be white… (Western Reef Heron vs. Little Egret)
Date: October 5, 2016
Chinese Egret
Date: 2017
Differentiating Little Egret and Snowy Egret
Date: July 18, 2011
Difference in plumes of Little and Snowy Egret
Reddish Egret (Contains info for west Mexican subspecies E. r. dickeyi. Thanks to aphelocoma_antirrhopus for the link!)
Night Herons (Nyctanassa & Nycticorax)
Yellow-crowned Night Heron: Similar Species Comparison
Date:January 22, 2013
Comparing Black-crowned and Yellow-crowned Night Herons
Tiger Herons (Tigrisoma)
cerw8384's illustration comparing mandible shapes in juvenile Bare-throated Tiger Heron (smooth) and Rufescent Tiger Heron (pointed).
Author's Note
I plan to keep this journal post as updated as possible regarding any taxonomic changes or new/updated guides. If you have any questions, comments, or would like to correct any info on here you can message me through iNat or email me ([email protected]).
This is my first time creating a collection such as this and I hope to expand my knowledge and experience as a naturalist.
I wrote this in HTML using Notepad++!
