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. Egrets do not form a biologically distinct group from herons, and tend to be named differently because they are mainly white or have decorative plumes in breeding plumage. Herons, by evolutionary adaptation, have long beaks.
The classification of the individual heron/egret species is fraught with difficulty, and no clear consensus exists about the correct placement of many species into either of the two major genera, Ardea and Egretta. Similarly, the relationships of the genera in the family are not completely resolved. However, one species formerly considered to constitute a separate monotypic family, the Cochlearidae or the boat-billed heron, is now regarded as a member of the Ardeidae.
Although herons resemble birds in some other families, such as the storks, ibises, spoonbills, and cranes, they differ from these in flying with their necks retracted, not outstretched. They are also one of the bird groups that have powder down. Some members of this group nest colonially in trees, while others, notably the bitterns, use reed beds. A group of them is called a "siege.
Kuntul adalah sebutan untuk burung dari keluarga Ardeidae. Burung ini berkaki panjang, berleher panjang, dan tersebar di seluruh dunia. Burung Cangak dan Kowak juga termasuk keluarga Kuntul.
Burung kuntul sewaktu terbang lehernya membentuk seperti huruf "s" dan tidak diluruskan, berbeda dengan burung dari keluarga Bangau (Ciconiidae) dan Ibis (Threskiornithidae) yang meluruskan leher dan merentangkan kaki-kakinya sewaktu terbang.
Dalam bahasa Melayu, burung dari keluarga Ardeidae dan Ciconiidae disebut Bangau, sedangkan di Indonesia istilah Bangau digunakan untuk burung dari keluarga Ciconiidae.
Habitat burung Kuntul di lahan basah, di pantai atau terumbu karang. Makanan berupa ikan, Katak, dan hewan invertebrata. Spesies seperti Kuntul kerbau (Bubulcus ibis ) memakan serangga yang berukuran lebih besar dan tidak terlalu tergantung pada tanah yang berair.
Pada tahun 2005, ilmuwan Kanada yang bernama Dr Louis Lefebvre mengumumkan metode pengukuran IQ yang berkaitan dengan kebiasaan makan. Berdasarkan metode ini, burung Kuntul merupakan salah satu burung yang paling pintar.
Klasifikasi burung Kuntul mengalami kesulitan karena ada perbedaan pendapat dalam pengelompokan spesies ke dalam dua genus besar: Ardea dan Egretta.
The herons are medium- to large-sized birds with long legs and necks. They exhibit very little sexual dimorphism in size. The smallest species is usually considered the dwarf bittern, which measures 25–30 cm (10–12 in) in length, although all the species in the genus Ixobrychus are small and many broadly overlap in size. The largest species of heron is the goliath heron, which stands up to 152 cm (60 in) tall. The necks are able to kink in an S-shape, due to the modified shape of the cervical vertebrae, of which they have 20–21. The neck can retract and extend and is retracted during flight, unlike most other long-necked birds. The neck is longer in the day herons than the night herons and bitterns. The legs are long and strong and in almost every species are unfeathered from the lower part of the tibia (the exception is the zigzag heron). In flight, the legs and feet are held backwards. The feet of herons have long, thin toes, with three forward pointing ones and one pointing backwards