Once endangered, now also native to large cities: the grey heron has spread in Saxony in recent years. The number of breeding pairs rose from around 1,400 in 2020 to around 1,800 last year, according to the State Environment Agency. At the same time, more locations where breeding colonies are located were also recorded.
The grey heron is the second largest native bird after the stork. It feeds mainly on fish and amphibians - which is why it was hunted as a fishing pest in the last century. Its populations declined sharply, but have recovered in Germany since the 1970s.
