Another flocking feeder is the Pied Heron which has learned to collect at sewage farms to feed. It does this by dropping an insect or piece of vegetation onto the surface of the water and then catching any fish that rise to investigate this potential food. Herons and Egrets hold their long necks in an 'S' shape with the head held back between the shoulders. They fly with the neck and head held like this which is a unique trait which distinguishes them easily from Storks and Cranes which fly with their necks extended straight out. This is not so obvious in the Night and Tiger Herons which are part way along a continuum of form stretching from the 'Ardea' Herons at one extreme to the much shorter necked Bitterns at the other.
Herons can only bend their necks in one plane.
They cannot move it sideways, only backwards and forwards. However, specially developed muscles allow it to be extended very rapidly making it an effective spear. The name Egret comes from the French 'aigrette' meaning the plume feathers of the six species of white Egrets. These are a special breeding plumage only occurring through part of the year. For many years they were popular in the fashion trade.