Egret vs. Heron

Egretnoun

Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea that includes herons, many of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season.

Egretnoun

A plume or tuft of feathers worn as a part of a headdress, or anything imitating such an ornament; an aigrette.

Egretnoun

(botany) The flying feathery or hairy crown of seeds or achenes, such as the down of the thistle.

Egretnoun

(obsolete) The crab-eating macaque (Macaca fascicularis)

Egretnoun

The name of several species of herons which bear plumes on the back. They are generally white. Among the best known species are the American egret (Ardea egretta syn. Herodias egretta); the great egret (Ardea alba); the little egret (Ardea garzetta), of Europe; and the American snowy egret (Ardea candidissima).

Egretnoun

A plume or tuft of feathers worn as a part of a headdress, or anything imitating such an ornament; an aigrette.

Egretnoun

The flying feathery or hairy crown of seeds or achenes, as the down of the thistle.

Egretnoun

A kind of ape.

Egretnoun

any of various usually white herons having long plumes during breeding season

Egret

Egrets are herons that have white or buff plumage, developing fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from herons and have the same build.

Heronnoun

A long-legged, long-necked wading bird of the family Ardeidae.

Heronnoun

Any wading bird of the genus Ardea and allied genera, of the family Ardeidæ. 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.

Heronnoun

Greek mathematician and inventor who devised a way to determine the area of a triangle and who described various mechanical devices (first century)

Heronnoun

gray or white wading bird with long neck and long legs and (usually) long bill

Heronnoun

a large fish-eating wading bird with long legs, a long S-shaped neck, and a long pointed bill.

Heron

The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 64 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera Botaurus and Ixobrychus are referred to as bitterns, and, together with the zigzag heron, or zigzag bittern, in the monotypic genus Zebrilus, form a monophyletic group within the Ardeidae.