Intermediate Egret

Great and Intermediate Egrets can be difficult to separate in non-breeding plumage as the parameters used to separate them can overlap. The Great Egret has more of a kink in its neck than the Intermediate, it also has a slightly longer bill on average and the gape goes further back, usually well behind the eye while the Intermediate gape stops below the eye. Intermediate has a slightly more rounded head than the Great. There are also differences in leg-bone lengths but I have not found sufficient details of these. The femur is usually out of sight under the wings, the fibia and tibia (knee to ankle) is usually fully visible and the tarsus is invariably hidden in long grass or water. The Great Egret neck often appears much thinner when it stretches its neck.