Wading Birds

Long-legged birds such as cranes, storks and herons that often feed in or near shallow water.

10 entries

A pink American flamingo standing in dark blue water.

American FlamingoPhoenicopterus ruberThe brightest-colored flamingo, also called the Caribbean flamingo, that filter-feeds with its bill upside down.

A blue-gray blue crane with long trailing wing feathers walking on rocky ground.

Blue CraneAnthropoides paradiseusThe national bird of South Africa, a blue-gray crane of grasslands famous for courtship dances that can last for hours.

A white cattle egret with buff-orange breeding feathers on its head perched on a branch.

Cattle EgretBubulcus ibisA small white heron that follows grazing animals to catch the insects they stir up, and has spread from Africa around the world.

A pink Chilean flamingo wading and feeding in shallow water.

Chilean FlamingoPhoenicopterus chilensisA pink flamingo of the high, cold salt flats of the southern Andes that feeds with its head upside down.

A grey crowned crane with a golden crown of feathers walking in grass.

Grey Crowned CraneBalearica regulorum (East African crowned crane: B. r. gibbericeps)An endangered African crane with a crown of stiff golden feathers, shown on the flag of Uganda. Also called the East African crowned crane.

A brown hamerkop with a hammer-shaped head perched on a dead tree stump.

HamerkopScopus umbrettaA brown African wading bird with a hammer-shaped head that builds the biggest nest of any bird in Africa.

A marabou stork with a bald pinkish head, a hanging throat pouch and dark wings standing on grass.

Marabou StorkLeptoptilos crumeniferA huge, bald-headed African stork that feeds mostly on dead animals and often gathers near lakes, rivers, garbage dumps and fishing villages.

A bright red scarlet ibis with a long curved bill standing on a log.

Scarlet IbisEudocimus ruberA bright red wading bird of northern South America that feeds mostly on crayfish and small crabs.

A tall wattled crane with a white neck and gray wings standing on grass.

Wattled CraneBugeranus carunculatusA tall African wetland crane with flaps of skin hanging from its chin that shrink when it's nervous and lengthen when it's excited.

A white stork with black wing feathers and a red bill walking in grass.

White StorkCiconia ciconiaA big white-and-black bird with a red bill that breeds in Europe, winters in Africa and inspired the story of storks delivering babies.