Grey heron Coloring Pages

Looks like a dinosaur! Grey heron!

The Grey heron is the biggest heron you can find in Japan. It has long, thin legs and a slender neck, making it look almost like an ancient dinosaur. Even though its Japanese name has the word for "blue" in it, its body is actually grey. It is said that long ago, people used that word to mean "pale greyish colors."

Where can you find them?

You can find the Grey heron all across Japan, from Hokkaido to Okinawa. They live near water, such as rivers, lakes, wetlands, and rice fields. They stand very still by the water to wait for food, or walk around slowly to look for it. They usually like to be by themselves. But when it is time to have babies, many of them gather to build nests high up in trees.

Calls

The Grey heron makes a low, rough call that sounds like "Gwaaack" or "Geaarrr." They do not call very often. They mostly make sounds when chasing other birds away or when talking to their friends.

How they hunt

The Grey heron is a very smart hunter. It uses its long neck and sharp beak to catch food.

• Waiting: It stands super still by the water and waits for fish or frogs to come close.
• Spearing: When it finds a big fish, it sometimes spears it with its beak.
• Swallowing whole: Once it catches its food, it swallows it all in one big gulp.

What they eat

The Grey heron eats meat, so it enjoys many different kinds of food.

• Fish: Fish is its favorite food! It eats tiny fish, and sometimes big fish over 30 centimeters long.
• Amphibians: It eats frogs and tadpoles.
• Reptiles: Sometimes it eats snakes and lizards, too.
• Bugs and shellfish: It also eats grasshoppers, dragonflies, shrimp, and crabs.

How they fly

The Grey heron looks very special when it flies in the sky. It bends its long neck into an "S" shape and flaps its big wings slowly. It looks very graceful and pretty!

How to Choose Colors: Show off its elegant grey body!

When you color the Grey heron, try to show off its cool grey color and slim body. Instead of just filling it in with grey, try adding shiny spots where the light hits and dark spots for shadows to make it look real!

• Body colors:
  • Use grey for most of the body. If you mix in a little light blue, you can make a nice bluish grey!
  • Leave the shiny back and the top of the neck a little bit white or light grey.
  • Add dark grey or black to the bottom of the belly and inside the legs where shadows fall. This makes the body look nice and round!
• Head and eye colors:
  • Color the head white, and make the stripe going from the eye to the back of the head black.
  • Color the beak yellow or brown to make it look real.
• Leg colors:
  • Color the legs long and thin using grey or black.
• Background colors:
  • The Grey heron loves the water! Mix light blue, blue, and green to draw a nice river or lake.
  • It is also fun to draw fish and frogs swimming in the water!

How to Make it Look 3D: Think about light and shadows!

The Grey heron has a thin, sleek body. If you use light and dark colors and add shadows, your coloring page will look super lively!

• Where to use light colors:
  • Think about where the light hits the curved neck and body, and leave those spots a little bit lighter.
  • Use dark and light colors on the feathers to make them look real!
• Where to put shadows:
  • Shadows fall under the neck, under the belly, and inside the legs.
  • Use dark grey or black in these spots to make the body pop out in 3D!

Tips for Pencils, Crayons, and Paints!

• Color pencils:
  • Press hard for dark colors and soft for light colors to make cool shades!
  • Layer black or white over your grey to make a rich color.
• Crayons:
  • Crayons are great for making smooth colors. You can even smudge the colors with your finger!
• Paints:
  • Paint the whole body with light grey first. Once it dries, paint the feather patterns with dark grey to keep it neat!

Use your imagination and fun ideas to make your very own special Grey heron coloring page!