Great Egret

The largest of all the egrets, this is a pure white bird with a black gape that extends well past the eye. The normally yellow bill turns black when breeding. This bird seems to be changing into breeding plumage as the bill is only partially black, and it is showing the characteristic light plumes on the lower back of a bird in breeding. It can be found on rivers, lakes and mudflats, including inundated cultivated fields.