| Ardea Temporal range: Middle Miocene to present
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| Great blue heron (A. herodias) | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Pelecaniformes |
| Family: | Ardeidae |
| Subfamily: | Ardeinae |
| Genus: | Ardea Linnaeus, 1758 |
| Type species | |
| Ardea cinerea (grey heron) Linnaeus, 1758
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| Species | |
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12, see text | |
| Synonyms | |
Ardea is a genus of herons. These herons are generally large in size, typically 80–100 cm or more in length.
These large herons are associated with wetlands where they prey on fish, frogs, and other aquatic species. Most members of this almost worldwide group breed colonially in trees, building large stick nests.
Northern species such as great blue, grey, and purple herons may migrate south in winter, although the first two do so only from areas where the waters freeze.