27-411: Egretta Ardea Bubulcus Mesophoyx Nycticorax Nyctanassa Gorsachius Butorides Agamia Pilherodius Ardeola Syrigma Egrets ( / ˈ iː ɡ r ə t s / EE -grəts ) are herons , generally long-legged wading birds, that have white or buff plumage, developing fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not
54-475: A biologically distinct group from herons and have the same build. Many egrets are members of the genera Egretta or Ardea , which also contain other species named as herons rather than egrets. The distinction between a heron and an egret is rather vague, and depends more on appearance than biology. The word "egret" comes from the French word aigrette that means both "silver heron" and "brush", referring to
81-659: A great egret chick had hatched, making it a new breeding bird record for the UK. In 2017, seven nests in Somerset fledged 17 young, and a second breeding site was announced at Holkham National Nature Reserve in Norfolk where a pair fledged three young. In January 2021, BirdGuides, a UK website and magazine which reports sightings of rare birds, dropped the species from its list of nationally rare birds because sightings had become so numerous. In August 2024, RSPB Scotland announced that
108-769: A pair had raised three chicks at their Loch of Strathbeg nature reserve in North Aberdeenshire, the first chicks to hatch in Scotland. A similar move northwards has been observed in the Nordic countries where historically it was only a rare visitor. The first confirmed breeding in Sweden was 2012 and in Denmark was 2014. Both countries now have small colonies. In 2018, a pair of great egrets nested in Finland for
135-538: Is from Asia and Australasia and some taxonomists consider it to be a full species, the eastern great egret ( Ardea modesta ), but most scientists treat it as a subspecies. The great egret is a large heron with all-white plumage . Standing up to 1 m (3.3 ft) tall, this species can measure 80 to 104 cm (31 to 41 in) in length with a wingspan of 131 to 170 cm (52 to 67 in). Body mass can range from 700 to 1,500 g (1.5 to 3.3 lb), with an average around 1,000 g (2.2 lb). It
162-540: Is not normally a vocal bird; it gives a low, hoarse croak when disturbed, and at breeding colonies, it often gives a loud croaking cuk cuk cuk and higher-pitched squawks. Owing to its wide distribution across so much of the Americas, as well as Africa, Europe and Asia, the great egret shares its habitat with many other similar species. For example, the little egret ( Egretta garzetta ), intermediate egret ( Ardea intermedia ), Chinese egret ( Egretta eulophotes ), and
189-468: Is often referred to as the "great white egret". This species is sometimes confused with the great white heron of the Caribbean , which is a white morph of the closely related great blue heron . Four subspecies are found in various parts of the world, which differ but little. Differences among them include bare-part coloration in the breeding season and size. The smallest subspecies, A. a. modesta ,
216-472: Is thus only slightly smaller than the great blue or grey heron ( A. cinerea ). Apart from size, the great egret can be distinguished from other white egrets by its yellow bill and black legs and feet, though the bill may become darker and the lower legs lighter in the breeding season. In breeding plumage, delicate ornamental feathers are borne on the back. Males and females are identical in appearance; juveniles look like nonbreeding adults. Differentiated from
243-686: The Ciconiiformes , the Ardeidae are closer relatives of pelicans and belong in the Pelecaniformes , instead. The great egret—unlike the typical egrets—does not belong to the genus Egretta , but together with the great herons is today placed in Ardea . In the past, however, it was sometimes placed in Egretta or separated in a monotypic genus Casmerodius . The Old World population
270-562: The common egret , large egret , or (in the Old World ) great white egret or great white heron , is a large, widely distributed egret . The four subspecies are found in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and southern Europe. Recently, it has also been spreading to more northern areas of Europe. Distributed across most of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world, it builds tree nests in colonies close to water. The great egret
297-488: The intermediate egret ( Ardea intermedia ) by the gape , which extends well beyond the back of the eye in case of the great egret, but ends just behind the eye in case of the intermediate egret. Its flight is slow with its neck retracted. This is characteristic of herons and bitterns , and distinguishes them from storks , cranes , ibises , and spoonbills , which extend their necks in flight. The great egret walks with its neck extended and wings held close. The great egret
SECTION 10
#1732766116478324-535: The western reef heron ( Egretta gularis ). In the Americas, the snowy egret ( Egretta thula )—a medium-sized heron that shares the same habitat as the great egret—is one such species. The snowy egret is readily distinguished from the great egret because it is noticeably smaller, and it has a more slender bill which is black in color and yellow feet, whereas the great egret has a yellow bill and black feet. Another species that—in North America—is easily confused with
351-626: The Americas. These are typical egrets in shape, long-necked and long-legged. A few plumage features are shared, although several have plumes in breeding plumage; a number of species are either white in all plumages, have a white morph (e.g. reddish egret ), or have a white juvenile plumage ( little blue heron ). The breeding habitat of Egretta herons is marshy wetlands in warm regions. They nest in colonies , often with other wading birds, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. These herons feed on insects , fish , and amphibians , caught normally by cautious stalking. The genus Egretta
378-482: The United States demanded large numbers of egret plumes, leading to breeding birds being killed in many places around the world. Several Egretta species, including the eastern reef egret , the reddish egret , and the western reef egret , have two distinct colours, one of which is just white. The little blue heron has all-white juvenile plumage. Egrets inhabit all continents; although they typically avoid
405-475: The adults. Of the digeneans found in central European great egrets, numerous species likely infected their definitive hosts outside of central Europe itself. The great egret is depicted on the reverse side of a 5- Brazilian reais banknote. The great egret is the symbol of the National Audubon Society . An airbrushed photograph of a great egret in breeding plumage by Werner Krutein
432-419: The coldest regions, arid deserts, and very high mountains. They hunt and live in both saltwater and freshwater marshes. Egretta See text. Egretta is a genus of medium-sized herons , mostly breeding in warmer climates. Representatives of this genus are found in most of the world, and the little egret , as well as being widespread throughout much of the Old World , has now started to colonise
459-502: The end of the 19th century so that their plumes, known as " aigrettes ", could be used to decorate hats. Numbers have since recovered as a result of conservation measures. Its range has expanded as far north as southern Canada . However, in some parts of the southern United States , its numbers have declined due to habitat loss, particularly wetland degradation through drainage, grazing, clearing, burning, increased salinity, groundwater extraction and invasion by exotic plants. Nevertheless,
486-459: The first time, raising four young in a grey heron colony in Porvoo . The species breeds in colonies in trees close to large lakes with reed beds or other extensive wetlands , preferably at height of 10–40 feet (3.0–12.2 m). It begins to breed at 2–3 years of age by forming monogamous pairs each season. Whether the pairing carries over to the next season is not known. The male selects
513-591: The great egret is the white morph of the great blue heron ( Ardea herodias ). The great blue heron is a bit larger, and has a thicker bill than that of the great egret. The great egret is generally a very successful species with a large and expanding range, occurring worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. It is ubiquitous across the Sun Belt of the United States and in the Neotropics . In North America , large numbers of great egrets were killed around
540-554: The large white species such as the great egret are occasionally allocated to Egretta . The fact that some members of the genus have common names of "heron" and some of "egret" , causes further confusion in differentiating between this genus and Ardea . The genus contains 13 species: A fossil species, Egretta subfluvia , is known from the Late Miocene or Early Pliocene of Florida . [REDACTED] Great egret The great egret ( Ardea alba ), also known as
567-542: The long, filamentous feathers that seem to cascade down an egret's back during the breeding season (also called "egrets"). Several of the egrets have been reclassified from one genus to another in recent years; the great egret , for example, has been classified as a member of either Casmerodius , Egretta , or Ardea . In the 19th and early part of the 20th centuries, some of the world's egret species were endangered by relentless plume hunting , since hat makers in Europe and
SECTION 20
#1732766116478594-729: The nest area, starts a nest, and then attracts a female. The nest, made of sticks and lined with plant material, could be up to 3 feet across. Up to six bluish green eggs are laid at one time. Both sexes incubate the eggs, and the incubation period is 23–26 days. The young are fed by regurgitation by both parents and are able to fly within 6–7 weeks. The great egret forages in shallow water or in drier habitats, feeding mainly on fish, frogs, other amphibians, small mammals (such as mice), and occasionally small reptiles (such as snakes), crustaceans (such as crayfish) and insects (such as crickets and grasshoppers). This species normally impales its prey with its long, sharp bill by standing still and allowing
621-400: The prey to come within the striking distance of its bill, which it uses as a spear. It often waits motionless for prey or slowly stalks its victim. A long-running field study (1962–2013) suggested that the great egrets of central Europe host 17 different helminth species. Juvenile great egrets were shown to host fewer species, but the intensity of infection was higher in the juveniles than in
648-535: The species adapts well to human habitation and can be readily seen near wetlands and bodies of water in urban and suburban areas. The great egret is partially migratory , with northern hemisphere birds moving south from areas with colder winters. It is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. In 1953, the great egret in flight
675-459: Was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Ardea alba . He specified the type locality as Europe. The scientific name comes from Latin ardea , "heron", and alba , "white". Like all egrets, it is a member of the heron family , Ardeidae . Traditionally classified with the storks in
702-732: Was chosen as the symbol of the National Audubon Society , which was formed in part to prevent the killing of birds for their feathers. On 22 May 2012, a pair of great egrets was observed nesting in the UK for the first time at the Shapwick Heath nature reserve in Somerset . The species was a rare visitor to the UK and Ben Aviss of the BBC stated that the news could mean the UK's first great egret colony had become established. The following week, Kevin Anderson of Natural England confirmed
729-544: Was introduced in 1817 by the German naturalist Johann Reinhold Forster with the little egret as the type species . The genus name comes from the Provençal French for the little egret , aigrette , a diminutive of aigron , "heron". As with other heron groupings, the taxonomy of these birds has been a source of dispute. Some of these species have been placed with the great herons in Ardea , and conversely,
#477522