33 Birds with Long Legs (A to Z List with Pictures)

Birds with long legs include American Avocet, American Bittern, American Flamingo, Australian Crane, and Black Stork.

Birds with long legs can be found all over the world. They are a fascinating bunch, and their long legs help them to survive in a variety of habitats.

Their long legs allow them to walk in areas that other birds cannot, and they often look graceful as they move through the trees or across the ground.

While all birds have legs, not all of them have long legs. In fact, many bird species have very short legs.

Examples of Birds with Long Legs

1. American Avocet

Scientific Name	Recurvirostra americana
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	New Mexico, Canada, Florida, Puerto Rico and California
Diet	Omnivore

The American Avocet is a shorebird. It is found in California, Texas, and New Mexico but spends the winter in Central America. They have long blue legs, which they use to wade through the water while they are hunting for food such as insects and small fish.

2. American Bittern

Scientific Name	Botaurus lentiginosus
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	the United States and Canada
Diet	Carnivore

The American Bittern is a wading bird. It is found in the United States and Canada but spends the winter in Central America. They have long green legs, which they use to walk through tall grasses while hunting for food such as small fish and frogs.

3. American Flamingo

Scientific Name	Phoenicopterus ruber
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	Caribbean and South America
Diet	Omnivore

The American Flamingo is a large wading bird. It is found in the United States, Central, and South America but spends most of its time on islands off Florida’s coast where there are plenty of flamingos to feed upon.

They have long red legs with black feet that help them walk through shallow waters while hunting for food such as small fish and frogs.

Read Also: Are Flamingos World’s Dumbest Animals?

4. Australian Crane

Scientific Name	Grus rubicunda
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	Australia
Diet	Omnivore

This bird is found in southern and eastern Australia. It has a white body, neck, and legs with gray-black wingtips. The Australian crane can reach up to five feet tall at maturity.

5. Black Stork

Scientific Name	Ciconia nigra
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	France
Diet	Carnivore

The black stork is a large bird that has long legs and a long neck. It is mostly black, with some white feathers on its wings. The black stork feeds on fish, amphibians, and small mammals.

6. Black-Crowned Night-Heron

Scientific Name	Nycticorax nycticorax
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia
Diet	Carnivore

The Black-Crowned Night-Heron can be found in North America, South America, and Africa. This bird is gray with a black crown on its head and white stripes that go down the length of its neck.

It has a long yellow beak and bright yellow feet. The Black-Crowned Night-Heron usually stands about 25 inches tall, weighing between one and a half pounds to just over three pounds.

7. Black-Necked Stilt

Scientific Name	Himantopus mexicanus
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	Central America
Diet	Carnivore

The Black-Necked Stilt can be found in North America, South America, Europe, and Africa. This bird is mainly white with a black neck and head. It has a long red beak and pink legs.

The Black-Necked Stilt usually stands about 14 inches tall, weighing between four and a half to six pounds.

8. Cassowaries

Scientific Name	Casuarius
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	south-east Asia and Australia
Diet	Omnivore

The Cassowaries are found in the tropical rain forests of New Guinea and northeastern Australia. These birds have long legs, long necks, and blue faces. They are mostly black with some white markings on their body and a crest of red feathers on their head. The

The cassowary is the largest bird in the world that can not fly, weighing in at up to 97 pounds and measuring over five feet tall.

9. Cattle Egret

Scientific Name	Bubulcus ibis
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	Africa
Diet	Carnivore

The Cattle Egret is a white bird with a buff-colored head and neck. It has a long orange beak, black legs and feet, and yellow eyes. This bird can be found in North America, South America, Africa, Asia, and Europe.

The Cattle Egret usually stands about 18 inches tall, weighing between two and a half to 8 ounces.

10. Common Ostrich

Scientific Name	Struthio camelus
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	Africa
Diet	Herbivore

The Common Ostrich is the largest living bird on earth. It can be found in Africa and some parts of Asia. The Common Ostrich is gray or black with a long neck and legs. They have two toes on each foot, which helps them run fast – up to 43 miles per hour.

Ostriches usually weigh between 200 and 300 pounds but can get up to 400 pounds.

11. Emu

Scientific Name	Dromaius novaehollandiae
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	Australia
Diet	Omnivore

The Emu is the largest bird in Australia and the second largest in the world. It is a dark brown or black color with a long neck and legs. The Emu has two feathers on its head that look like horns, and a small beard of feathers under its beak. It can grow up to six feet tall and weigh about 121pounds.

12. Gray Heron

Scientific Name	Ardea cinerea
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa
Diet	Carnivore

The Gray Heron is found in Europe and Asia. This bird has gray plumage with a black beak and yellow feet. It stands about 40 inches tall, weighing between two and a half pounds to just over four pounds.

The Gray Heron feeds primarily on fish but may also eat other small animals such as reptiles or amphibians. Its long beak is an adaptation that helps it catch its prey.

13. Great Blue Heron

Scientific Name	Ardea herodias
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	Spain, the Azores, and areas of far southern Europe
Diet	Carnivore

The Great Blue Heron is native to North America, Central, and South America. This bird is all blue with a black beak and long yellow legs. The Great Blue Heron stands about 4.5 feet tall and weighs between four pounds to just over six pounds.

14. Great Egret

Scientific Name	Ardea alba
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	Asia, Africa, the Americas, and southern Europe
Diet	Carnivore

The Great Egret is a white bird with black feathers on its head. It can be found in North America, Europe, and Asia. This bird usually stands about three feet tall and weighs around four pounds. The Great Egret has a long yellow beak and bright yellow feet.

15. Green Heron

Scientific Name	Butorides virescens
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	North America and Central America
Diet	Carnivore

The Green Heron can be found in North America, South America, and Africa. This bird is gray with a greenback and top of its head. It has a long yellow beak and bright yellow feet.

The Green Heron usually stands about 18 inches tall, weighing between one and a half pounds to just over three pounds. The Green Heron is a carnivore, and its diet consists of fish, frogs, snakes, crayfish, insects, and small mammals.

16. Jabiru

Scientific Name	Jabiru mycteria
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	Pantanal region and in Paraguay
Diet	Carnivore

The Jabiru is found in Central and South America. This bird can weigh up to 9 pounds, making it the largest flying bird in all of North and South America! Its plumage has a mix of colors including black, white, and gray.

17. Limpkin

Scientific Name	Aramus guarauna
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	South America and Central America
Diet	Carnivore

The Limpkin is found in North America, Central America, and South America. This bird has a long neck with black feathers on the top and white underneath. It has bright orange legs that are about ten inches long.

The Limpkin stands approximately 29 inches tall, weighing just under two pounds.

18. Little Blue Heron

Scientific Name	Egretta caerulea
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	northern South America
Diet	Carnivore

The Little Blue Heron is found in North America, South America, and Australia. This bird has gray feathers with a black beak and pink legs.

It stands about 30 inches tall and weighs between two pounds to just 14 ounces. The Little Blue Heron can also have an all-white or all-black form of this species that is very rare.

19. Owls

Scientific Name	Strigiformes
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	World wide
Diet	Carnivore

Owls are found all over the world and come in a variety of sizes. They have large round faces with eyes that face forward, allowing for binocular vision. They have excellent hearing and night vision.

Some owls can turn their heads as much as 270 degrees to see behind them without moving their bodies. Owls’ wings are broad and their feathers are soft, which allows them to fly silently.

They have strong legs that allow them to perch on tree branches for long periods of time.

20. Purple Gallinule

Scientific Name	Porphyrio martinicus
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	Mexico
Diet	Omnivore

The Purple Gallinule is a large, chicken-sized bird that can be found in the United States, Central America, and South America. It has bright red eyes, a green head and neck, white underparts, and chestnut-brown upperparts.

Its legs are long and pink with black stripes. The Purple Gallinule feeds on insects, small fish, tadpoles, and other aquatic creatures.

21. Purple Heron

Scientific Name	Ardea purpurea
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	Europe, Asia, and Africa
Diet	Carnivore

The Purple Heron, also known as the Pond Heron or White-backed Night-Heron, is a medium-sized heron that can be found in Asia and Africa. This bird has brown feathers on its body with white stripes down its neck.

22. Reddish Egret

Scientific Name	Egretta rufescens
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	Central America, The Bahamas, the Caribbean
Diet	Carnivore

The Reddish Egret can be found in North America. It is a medium-sized bird that is white with pink legs and feet. The Reddish Egret has a yellow beak and usually stands about 32 inches tall, weighing between one and two pounds.

23. Roseate Spoonbill

Scientific Name	Platalea ajaja
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	South America
Diet	Omnivore

The Roseate Spoonbill can be found in South America and the United States. This bird is white with a pink tint on its wings, tail feathers, head, and neck. It has a long black beak that looks like a spoon at the end and black legs that are very long when compared to other birds of its size (about two and a half feet tall).

24. Sandhill Crane

Scientific Name	Grus canadensis
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	North America and extreme northeastern Siberia
Diet	Omnivore

The Sandhill Crane can be found in North America and parts of Europe. This bird is gray with a redhead and a long neck. It has a black bill, legs, and feet.

25. Scarlet Ibis

Scientific Name	Eudocimus ruber
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	South America and the Caribbean islands
Diet	Omnivore

The Scarlet Ibis is a tropical bird that can be found in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.

This bird is mostly red, with a long black beak and legs. It usually stands about 30 inches tall and weighs around two pounds. The Scarlet Ibis feeds mainly on insects, but will also eat small fish or frogs.

26. Secretary Bird

Scientific Name	Sagittarius serpentarius
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	Africa
Diet	Carnivore

The Secretary Bird is a large bird of prey that lives in Africa. It has long legs and an impressive crest on its head made up of two feathers, much like the shape of a quill pen. The Secretary Bird stands about four feet tall with each wing spanning more than five feet from tip to tip when fully outstretched.

27. Snowy Egret

Scientific Name	Egretta thula
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	North, Central, and South America
Diet	Omnivore

The Snowy Egret is a small white bird that can be found in North America and South America. It has a long yellow beak and bright yellow feet, as well as black plumage on its head and neck. The Snowy Egret usually stands about 27 inches tall, weighing between one pound to just over two pounds.

28. Striated Heron

Scientific Name	Butorides striata
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	mainland Australia
Diet	Carnivore

The Striated Heron can be found in Africa, Australia, and Asia. This bird is gray with white stripes on its head, neck, and chest. It has a long black beak and orange feet. The Striated Heron usually stands about 44 cm tall, weighing 7 oz.

29. Tricolored Heron

Scientific Name	Egretta tricolor
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	North America and Central America
Diet	Carnivore

This bird can be found on the east coast of North America and in Central America. It is a very beautiful heron, with long blue legs and bright yellow feet. Its head is white, except for black around its eyes, while its neck is gray. The Tricolored Heron stands about 26 inches tall and weighs 11oz.

30. White-Faced Ibis

Scientific Name	Plegadis chihi
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	the western United States south through Mexico
Diet	Carnivore

The White-Faced Ibis is a bird that can be found in North America, South America, and Africa. It has gray feathers with a white face and red legs.

The White-Faced Ibis usually stands about 22 inches tall, weighing between one and two pounds. This bird’s diet consists mainly of worms, insects, and small amphibians.

31. Whooping Crane

Scientific Name	Grus americana
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	North America
Diet	Herbivore

The Whooping Crane stands about five feet tall and can weigh up to 17 pounds. The bird has a white body with black wingtips and red markings on its head.

It also has long stick-like legs that are typically grey in color, although they may be brown or even orange depending on the subspecies of whooping crane you are looking at.

32. Wood Stork

Scientific Name	Mycteria americana
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	South America
Diet	Carnivore

Wood Stork is found in North America and South America. This bird is white with a blackhead, neck, and tail. It has a long red beak and bright red feet. The Wood Stork usually stands about 45 inches tall, weighing between six and eight pounds.

33. Yellow-Crowned Night Heron

Scientific Name	Nyctanassa violacea
Type of Animal	Bird
Range	the eastern and central United States to southern Brazil
Diet	Carnivore

The Yellow-Crowned Night Heron is very similar in appearance to the Black-Crowned Night-Heron, except that it has a yellow crown on its head. It can be found in North America and South America.