A Bird Family Called Ardeidae, how to pronounce this word. Ar·​de·​i·​dae | \ ärˈdēəˌdē. I have been photographing these two species of birds for years, the Great Egrets and Blue Herons. When I saw this photo below, I realized how similar these two birds are. Come to find out they are in the same family also.

Definition of Ardeidae

A family of long-legged and long-necked migratory wading birds comprising the herons and bitterns.

In the family Ardeidae, there are 64 different species which have been identified and are recognized. Some of these species are called bitterns or egrets in place of herons due to the differences in their appearance.

Read more: Difference Between Heron and Egret

Herons and egrets are both, freshwater, coastal birds. But these photos were taken here in the mid west. And this was the first year I saw the White Egrets here on the Mississippi river. So it was a surprise and so much fun to photograph them.

I have a handful of photos left to post of these two beautiful birds. But I hope to see more of them again next year.

A Bird Family Called Ardeidae

by Sandra J