4  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Heron  \Her"on\,  n.  [OE.  heiroun  heroun,  heron,  hern,  OF 
  hairon,  F.  h['e]ron,  OHG.  heigir  cf  Icel.  hegri,  Dan. 
  heire,  Sw  h["a]ger,  and  also  G.  h["a]her  jay,  jackdaw,  OHG. 
  hehara  higere,  woodpecker,  magpie,  D.  reiger  heron,  G. 
  reiher,  AS  hr[=a]gra.  Cf  {Aigret},  {Egret}.]  (Zo["o]l.) 
  Any  wading  bird  of  the  genus  {Ardea}  and  allied  genera,  of 
  the  family  {Ardeid[ae]}.  The  herons  have  a  long,  sharp  bill, 
  and  long  legs  and  toes,  with  the  claw  of  the  middle  toe 
  toothed.  The  common  European  heron  ({Ardea  cinerea})  is 
  remarkable  for  its  directly  ascending  flight,  and  was 
  formerly  hunted  with  the  larger  falcons. 
 
  Note:  There  are  several  common  American  species;  as  the 
  great  blue  heron  ({Ardea  herodias});  the  little  blue 
  ({A.  c[oe]rulea});  the  green  ({A.  virescens});  the 
  snowy  ({A.  candidissima});  the  night  heron  or  qua-bird 
  ({Nycticorax  nycticorax}).  The  plumed  herons  are  called 
  {egrets}. 
 
  {Heron's  bill}  (Bot.),  a  plant  of  the  genus  {Erodium};  --  so 
  called  from  the  fancied  resemblance  of  the  fruit  to  the 
  head  and  beak  of  the  heron. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  heron 
  n  :  gray  or  white  wading  bird  with  long  neck  and  long  legs  and 
  (usually)  long  bill 
 
  From  U.S.  Gazetteer  (1990)  [gazetteer]: 
 
  Heron,  MT 
  Zip  code(s):  59844 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Heron 
  (Lev.  11:19;  Deut.  14:18),  ranked  among  the  unclean  birds.  The 
  Hebrew  name  is  _'anaphah_,  and  indicates  that  the  bird  so  named 
  is  remarkable  for  its  angry  disposition.  "The  herons  are 
  wading-birds,  peculiarly  irritable,  remarkable  for  their 
  voracity,  frequenting  marshes  and  oozy  rivers,  and  spread  over 
  the  regions  of  the  East."  The  Ardea  russeta,  or  little  golden 
  egret,  is  the  commonest  species  in  Asia. 
 

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