Great Egret
Great Egret
Ardea alba
At a Glance
A tallstately white wader of quiet waters. Commonespecially in the southit may wander far to the north in late summer. Nearly wiped out in the United States in the late 1800swhen its plumes were sought for use in fashionthe Great Egret made a comeback after early conservationists put a stop to the slaughter and protected its colonies; as a resultthis bird became the symbol of the National Audubon Society.
All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category
HeronsEgretsBitternsLong-legged Waders
IUCN Status
Least Concern
Habitat
Coasts and ShorelinesFreshwater WetlandsLakesPondsand RiversSaltwater Wetlands
Region
CaliforniaEastern CanadaFloridaGreat LakesMid AtlanticNew EnglandNorthwestPlainsRocky MountainsSoutheastSouthwestTexasWestern Canada
Behavior
Direct Flight
Population
9.500.000
Range & Identification
Migration & Range Maps
Withdraws in winter from northern breeding areaswintering only where waters remain open. After breeding seasonoften wanders far to north in late summer. In 1930s and 1940s there were a few large northward invasions (e.g.over 1500 reached Massachusetts in 1948)but not recorded in such numbers since.
Description
35-41" (89-104 cm). W. 4'7 (1.4 m). Largelong-neckedand whitewith yellow billblack legs. In Florida"Great White Heron" (white form of Great Blue Heron) is even largerbut has pale legs. Cattle Egret is much smallerwith much shorter bill and legs.
Size
About the size of a Heron
Color
BlackWhiteYellow
Wing Shape
FingeredLong
Tail Shape
Short
Songs and Calls
A guttural croak. Also loud squawks at nesting colonies.
Call Pattern
FlatSimple
Call Type
Croak/QuackOddRattle
Habitat
Marshespondsshoresmud flats. Usually forages in rather open situationsas along edges of lakeslarge marshesshallow coastal lagoons and estuaries; also along rivers in wooded country. Usually nests in trees or shrubs near watersometimes in thickets some distance from watersometimes low in marsh.
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Behavior
Eggs
3-4sometimes 1-6. Pale blue-green. Incubation is by both sexes23-26 days.
Young
Both parents feed youngby regurgitation. Young may clamber out of nest at 3 weeksable to fly at 6-7 weeks.
Feeding Behavior
Forages mostly by standing or walking in shallow waterwaiting for fish to come nearthen catching them with rapid thrust of bill. May feed in flocks or in association with other heronscormorantsibisessometimes stealing food from smaller birds. Also forages in open fieldssometimes around cattle.
Diet
Mostly fish. Aside from fishalso eats crustaceansfrogssalamanderssnakesaquatic insects. In open fields may catch grasshoppersrodents. Has been seen catching small rails and other birds.
Nesting
Probably first breeds at age of 2-3 years. Sometimes nests in isolated pairsusually in coloniesoften mixed with other wading birdscormorantsAnhingas. In mixed coloniesGreat Egrets tend to nest high. Male selects nest area and displays thereat first driving away all other birdslater courting females. Courtship displays include callingcircular display flightstretching neck up with bill pointed skyward. Nest: Site is in tree or shrubusually 10-40' above ground or watersometimes very low in thicket or marshsometimes up to 90' high in tall cypress. Nest (built by both sexes) a platform of stickssometimes substantial.
Conservation
Conservation Status
Populations were decimated by plume hunters in late 1800srecovered rapidly with protection early in 20th century. In recent decadesbreeding range has been expanding gradually northwardwhile there is some evidence that southern populations have declined.
Climate Threats Facing the Great Egret
Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases. The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk will affect other wildlife and peopletoo.
