Where do herons nest?
Heron · Ardea cinerea
Grey herons nest in colonies called heronries, building big platforms of sticks high in the tops of tall trees, often several nests to a tree. A few nest in reedbeds or on cliffs instead. They are one of the earliest birds to nest in Britain, laying from late February, and they use and add to the same nests year after year.
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- Where
- High in tall trees, together in a heronry
- Nest
- A large stick platform, often around a metre across
- When
- From late February, one of the earliest nesters
- Eggs
- Usually 3 or 4, pale blue-green, about 25 to 28 days of sitting
- Broods
- Usually one
- Fledging
- About 7 to 8 weeks after hatching
- Reused
- Yes: nests and heronries last for years
Where herons nest
It surprises people that a bird you see standing in a river nests at the top of a tree, but that is where most herons are in spring: high in tall trees, broadleaved or conifer, together with other herons. These colonies are called heronries, and some have been used for decades, even longer.
A heronry can be a handful of nests or a hundred or more, and the trees end up streaked white with droppings. Less often, herons nest lower down, in reedbeds or on cliff ledges, but a tree colony is the classic.
What a heron’s nest looks like
Big and untidy. It is a platform of woven branches, usually somewhere between 80 centimetres and 1.2 metres across, lined with smaller twigs, grass, leaves and roots. Pairs come back to the same nest and build it up a bit more each year, so old nests can get very bulky.
When herons nest
Very early. The males are calling from the treetops in February, and the first eggs go in from late February, when most garden birds have barely started thinking about it. There are usually three or four pale blue-green eggs, and both parents sit on them for about 25 to 28 days.
The chicks spend three or four weeks in the nest, then a few more clambering about the branches around it, before they fly at about seven to eight weeks old. A heronry in spring is a noisy place, full of clattering bills and strange croaks.
How to help herons
Herons are doing fine and do not nest in gardens, but you can still help:
- Count them. The BTO Heronries Census has counted heron nests every year since 1928, one of the longest-running bird surveys in the world, and it relies on volunteers.
- Keep your distance from a heronry in spring, especially early in the season when birds are sitting.
- Net your pond if a heron keeps taking your fish, rather than chasing the bird off.
Checked against: RSPB: Grey heron, BTO BirdFacts: Grey heron, BTO Heronries Census. Last checked 8 November 2026.
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Questions
Do herons nest in trees?
Yes, mostly high in tall trees, together in colonies called heronries. A few nest in reedbeds or on cliffs.
When do herons nest?
Very early: eggs are laid from late February, and the young fly in late spring.
What is a group of herons nesting called?
A heronry. Some have been used by herons for many decades.
Do herons use the same nest every year?
Yes, they often return to the same nest and add to it each spring.
