Great Egret
Ardea alba
27.7981, -82.7973
Field Notes
Description:
A large white heron, the Great Egret is found across much of the world, from southern Canada southward to Argentina, and in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. It's the largest egret in the Old World, and thus has garnered the name Great White Egret. In the New World, however, the white form of the Great Blue Heron is larger. In the United States, the Great Egret used to be called the American Egret but that was hardly appropriate, since its range extends beyond the Americas and indeed farther than other herons.
ID notes - Similar Species:
• Snowy Egret is smaller, has black bill, and yellow feet.
• Great White Heron, the white form of the Great Blue Heron, has a heavier bill, and pale, not black, legs.
• The white form of the Reddish Egret has a dark or bi-colored bill.
• The white juvenile of the Little Blue Heron has greenish legs, and a dark bill with a bluish base.
• Cattle Egret can have a yellow bill and black legs, but it is much shorter and stockier, and often has a reddish wash over the head, back, and chest.
Habitat:
Nests in colonies with other species, in shrubs and trees over water, and on islands.
Feeds in variety of wetlands, including marshes, swamps, streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, tide flats, canals, and flooded fields.
Notes:
This Egret was hanging around some bait tubs at a dock.
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