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Great Egret
Ardea alba
30.2076, -91.8972
Field Notes
Description:
Great Egrets are tall, long-legged wading birds with long, S-curved necks and long, dagger-like bills. In flight, the long neck is tucked in and the legs extend far beyond the tip of the short tail. All feathers on Great Egrets are white. Their bills are yellowish-orange, and the legs black.
Habitat:
Lake Martin Bird Sanctuary is located in southwest Louisiana near Breaux Bridge. This is a large rookery with these white mounds on nests in the middle range of the trees. The spoonbills seem to nest higher and the smaller egrets in the lower shrubs.
Notes:
The male builds a nest platform from long sticks and twigs before pairing up with a female, and then both members of the pair may collaborate to complete the nest, though the male sometimes finishes it himself. The nest is up to 3 feet across and 1 foot deep. It is lined with pliable plant material that dries to form a cup structure. They don’t typically reuse nests from year to year. Males choose the display areas, where nests are later constructed. The nest itself is up to 100 feet off the ground, often over water.
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