Something about the heron
Herons, with their grace and beauty, have always captured human attention. Some species, such as the grey heron, were also valued as food: during the Middle Ages, their meat was considered a delicacy reserved for nobles and royalty. Additionally, in Asia and South America, it was common to collect heron eggs and chicks for consumption.
Since ancient times, heron feathers have been used as decorations. Peoples like the Maori and South American indigenous groups used them to adorn hairstyles, ceremonial masks, and traditional garments. In Europe, figures like Marie Antoinette helped popularize feathered hats.
In the 20th century, the fashion for feathered accessories, such as boas and hats, created high demand for feathers. Particularly sought-after were “aigrettes,” small tufts of heron feathers used to embellish hats and hairstyles, especially between the late 19th century and the 1940s. On theater stages and in cabarets, feathers completed the costumes of actresses and singers.
However, the intensive harvesting of feathers caused serious problems for species like the little egret and the great white heron, which were already at risk of extinction as early as the 16th century. Records from 1902 indicate that nearly 193,000 white heron feathers were sold in London alone. To protect these species, the United States in 1910 and Great Britain in 1920 declared the feather trade illegal.