Order: Pelecaniformes

Family: Ardeidae

 

Size:  up to 94 - 104 cm

Weight: around 1 kg

 

Key Features: large heron which, as an adult, has entirely white plumage with contrasting black feet and long, black legs. Colour is added by its bright yellow bill, tipped with black, and the greenish-yellow area between the bill and the eye. Like many herons, it has a long neck that is pulled into an‘s’-shaped curve when in flight. During the breeding season the great egret displays wonderful, elegant plumes on its back, which extend up to ten centimetres past the tail and are used in courtship displays. In these displays, the great egret spreads its plumes out like a fan, rather like a peacock. Juvenile great egrets look similar to the adults but without the ornamental breeding plumes.

 

Voice: gives a variety of calls, including a low-pitched ‘kraak’ call that is given in flight, when disturbed, and as a threat call.

 

Breeding: Breeding takes place once per year, when the great egret produces a single brood. In temperate regions this takes place in spring or summer, while in tropical regions it may take place at any time of the year. The male performs an interesting display to attract a female; this includes stretching the neck, clacking the bill, and erecting the magnificent plumes that develop during the breeding season. The great egret may either nest alone or in colonies, which can consist of over 1,000 nests. The nests are made from sticks and are positioned near the water in trees, bushes or reed beds. Great egret nestlings regularly kill the youngest of their siblings for food and the parents rarely prevent this from happening.

 

Diet: feeds mainly on fish, snakes, amphibians, insects andcrustaceans, although on drier land it may also eat lizards, small birds and mammals.

 

Habitat: occurs in all kinds of wetlands, both inland and along the coast, although in winter or during droughts it is generally more common along the coast. It is typically found at low altitudes.

 

Habits: It feeds most actively at dawn and dusk, when it can often be found waiting motionless at the water’s edge until prey comes close enough to catch.

 

Conservation Status: Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

 

 

 

 

 

References:

Nellis, D.W. (2001) Common Coastal Birds of Florida and the Caribbean. Pineapple Press, Florida.

 

McCrimmon, D.A., Ogden, J.C. and Bancroft, G.T. (2001) Great egret (Ardea alba). In: Poole, A. (Ed.) The Birds of North America Online. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca.

 

Kushlan, J.A. and Hancock, J.A. (2005) Bird Families of the World: Herons. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

 

Del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. and Sargatal, J. (1994) Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Ostrich to Ducks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

 

Photo Courtesy

Googie man, Licensed under CC BY SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons