purple heron

American  

noun

1. an Old World heron, Ardea purpurea, having maroon, buff, and black plumage.

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Etymology

Origin of purple heron

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

A purple heron — “rakish, with long thin neck” in the words of the Oxford “Pocket Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent” — landed in a clump of water hyacinth.

From New York Times • Jan. 14, 2011

Rather farther away waded half a dozen spoonbills, revolving on their axis at each forward step in their peculiar fashion; a purple heron or two, and sedate storks seeking a feast of frogs.

From Wild Spain (Espa?a agreste) Records of Sport with Rifle, Rod, and Gun, Natural History Exploration by Buck, Walter J.

She was wearing a blue and white silk gown with a handsome fur over her shoulders and a cluster of purple heron feathers on top of her wide hat.

From Mare Nostrum (Our Sea) A Novel by Jordan, Charlotte Brewster

The purple heron, A. purpurea, as a well-known European species having a great range over the Old World, also deserves mention here.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 4 "Hero" to "Hindu Chronology" by Various