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Great Egret

Ardea alba

Photo by gatorfellows
Published on Project Noah
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29.9066, -91.9112

Field Notes

Description:

The elegant Great Egret is a dazzling sight in many a North American wetland. Slightly smaller and more svelte than a Great Blue Heron, these are still large birds with impressive wingspans. They hunt in classic heron fashion, standing immobile or wading through wetlands to capture fish with a deadly jab of their yellow bill.

Habitat:

Fishing from one of the high spots near the platform rookery at Jungle Gardens. The supports posts for the rookery platform are visible behind the bird.

Notes:

Jungle Gardens is a 170-acre (0.69 km2) botanical garden and bird sanctuary located on Avery Island, Louisiana. The gardens were created by Edward Avery McIlhenny, second son of Edmund McIlhenny, the inventor of Tabasco sauce. In 1895 McIlhenny raised eight egrets in captivity on the island, and released them in the fall for migration. They returned the next spring with other egrets, and have continued to do so over generations. Today thousands of egrets inhabit the island from early spring to late summer.

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PublishedMay 1, 2013

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