 Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs.Bitterns tend to be shorter necked and more secretive.Members of Ardeidae fly with their necks retracted, unlike other long-necked birds such as storks, ibises, and spoonbills.egrets, including the great egret, were decimated in the past by plume hunters, but numbers recovered when given protection in the 20th century.