Great Egret

Great Egret ew)  ID info (/guide/Great_Egret/id)  Life History (/guide/Great_Egret/lifehistory)  Maps (/guide/Great_Egret/mapsrange) (/ Herons Great Egret Ardea alba ORDER: Pelecaniformes FAMILY: Ardeidae ID Info(/guide/Great_Egret/id)  Listen  Great Egret by Shannon O'Shea (https://flic.kr/p/Q8bCk3) Adult Breeding adult (American) Adult (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/) Basic 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. Great Egrets were hunted nearly to extinction for their plumes in the late nineteenth century, sparking conservation movements and some of the first laws to protect birds. More ID Info (/guide/Great_Egret/id) (/guide/Great_Egret/maps-range) Year-round Breeding Migration Nonbreeding Range map provided by Birds of the World (https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/spec Explore Maps (/guide/Great_Egret/mapsrange) Find This Bird Visit a pond or coastal marsh and look for an allwhite bird—slightly smaller than a Great Blue Heron, with black legs and a yellow bill. It may be wading slowly or standing stockstill, peering intently at the water as it searches for fish. If you live outside of the The Great Egret is the symbol of the National Audubon Society, one of the oldest environmental organizations in North America. Audubon was founded Habitat Marshes (/guide/Great_Egret/lifehistory#habitat) Food Fish (/guide/Great_Egret/lifehistory#food) Nesting Tree (/guide/Great_Egret/lifehistory#nesting) Behavior Stalking (/guide/Great_Egret/lifehistory#behavior) Conservation Low Concern (/guide/Great_Egret/lifehistory#conservation) Cool Facts species’ breeding range, you may still see Great Egrets in late summer as they move about widely before heading to their wintering grounds. to protect birds from being killed for their feathers. Not all young that hatch survive the nestling period. Aggression among nestlings is common and large chicks frequently kill their smaller siblings. This behavior, known as siblicide, is not uncommon among birds such as hawks, owls, and herons, and is often a result of poor breeding conditions in a given year. The pristinely white Great Egret gets even more dressed up for the breeding season. A patch of skin on its face turns neon green, and long plumes grow from its back. Called aigrettes, those plumes were the bane of egrets in the late nineteenth century, when such adornments were prized for ladies’ hats. In mixed-species colonies, Great Egrets are often the first species to arrive, and their presence may induce nesting among other species. Great Egrets fly slowly but powerfully: with just two wingbeats per second Other Names Garceta Grande (Spanish) Grande Aigrette (French) their cruising speed is around 25 miles an hour. Though it mainly hunts while wading, the Great Egret occasionally swims to capture prey or hovers (somewhat laboriously) over the water and dips for fish. The oldest known Great Egret was 22 years, 10 months old and was banded in Ohio. Compare with Similar Species Click on an image to compare Snowy Egret (/guide/Great_Egret/speciescompare/70611051) Great Blue Heron (/guide/Great_Egret/speciescompare/60314301) Little B (/guide/Gre compar Speciesin This Family Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns (/guide/browse/taxonomy/Ardeidae) (Order: Pelecaniformes, Family: Ardeidae (/guide/browse/taxonomy/Ardeidae)) Browse Species in This Family (/guide/browse/taxonomy/Ardeidae) More to Read Looking for ID Help? Our free app offers quick ID help with global coverage. Try Merlin Bird ID (http://MerlinBirdID.com/) American Bittern (/guide/American_Bittern/overview) Least Bittern (/guide/Least_Bittern/overview) Yellow-crow (/gui crowned_Nigh (http://www.birds.cornell.edu/? __hstc=75100365.51166af58a57026109f86145a58c1a6c.1725588178880.1725588178880.172558817888 How To Identify White Herons (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/howto-identify-white-herons-excerpt-frombetter-birding-book/) Living Bird Magazine Moneyball For Shorebirds: How Precision Analytics Are Changing Habitat Conservation (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/moneyballfor-shorebirds-how-precision-analytics-arechanging-habitat-conservation/) How Do I Keep Herons From Eating The Fish In My Pond? (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/howdo-i-keep-herons-from-eating-the-fish-in-mypond/) Bird Cams Bird Cams FAQ: RedTailed Hawk Nest (https://www.all cams-faq-red-taile How To Identify White Herons (https://www.a to-identify-whit better-birding-b A Hawk Has Started Hunting The Feeder Birds In My Yard. What Can I Do? (https://www. hawk-has-starte birds-in-my-yar © 2024 Cornell University Great Egret Identification ew)  ID info (/guide/Great_Egret/id)  Life History (/guide/Great_Egret/lifehistory)  Maps (/guide/Great_Egret/mapsrange) (/ Identification (/guide/Great_Egret/id) Photo Gallery (/guide/Great_Egret/photogallery) Similar Species (/guide/Great_Egret/speciescompare) (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/) See more taxonCode=greegr&mediaType=p&sort=rating_rank_desc&__hstc=7510036 Adult Long-legged wading bird with a long, S-curved neck and a daggerlike bill. (/guide/Great_Egret/photo-gallery/70610211) © Alex Lamoreaux / Macaulay Library (https://macaulaylibrary.org/photo/32782691? __hstc=75100365.51166af58a57026109f86145a58c1a6c.1725588178880.1725588178880.1725588178880.1& Pennsylvania, August 17, 2016 Breeding adult (American) "American" Great Egrets occur across much North America and South America. Breeding adults have an orange-yellow bill and develo showy plumes (known as aigrettes) that they u in courtship displays. (/guide/Great_Egret/photo-gallery/7061020 © Darren Clark / Macaulay Library (https://macaulaylibrary.org/photo/45292901? __hstc=75100365.51166af58a57026109f86145a5 Texas, April 12, 2016 Compare with Similar Species Click on an image to compare Great Egrets are tall, long-legged wading birds with long, S-curved necks and long, dagger-like bills. In flight, the long neck is tucked in and the legs extend far beyond the tip of the short tail. The Four Keysto ID Snowy Egret (/guide/Great_Egret/speciescompare/70611051) Great Blue Heron (/guide/Great_Egret/speciescompare/60314301) Little (/guide/Gre compar Looking for ID Help? Our free app offers quick ID help with global coverage. Try Merlin Bird ID (http://MerlinBirdID.com/) Size & Shape © Alex Lamoreaux / Macaulay Library (https://macaulaylibrary.org/photo/32782691 __hstc=75100365.51166af58a57026109f86145 All feathers on Great Egrets are white. Their bills are yellowishorange, and the legs black. © Evan Lipton / Macaulay Library (https://macaulaylibrary.org/photo/66801701 __hstc=75100365.51166af58a57026109f86145 Relative Size Smaller than a Great Blue Heron; larger than a Snowy Egret. goose-sized or larger Measurements Both Sexes Length: 37.0-40.9 in (94-104 cm) Weight: 35.3 oz (1000 g) Wingspan: 51.6-57.1 in (131-145 cm) Color Pattern Great Egrets wade in shallow water (both fresh and salt) to hunt fish, frogs, and other small aquatic animals. They typically stand still and watch for unsuspecting prey to pass by. Then, with startling speed, the egrets strike with a jab of their long neck and bill. © Eric Liner / Macaulay Library (https://macaulaylibrary.org/video/464557? __hstc=75100365.51166af58a57026109f86145 You’ll find Great Egrets in both freshwater and saltwater habitats. They are colonial nesters, typically placing stick nests high in trees, often on islands that are isolated from mammalian predators such as raccoons. © Jonathan Eckerson / Macaulay Library (https://macaulaylibrary.org/photo/43398821 __hstc=75100365.51166af58a57026109f86145 Behavior 01:17 Habitat Speciesin This Family Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns (/guide/browse/taxonomy/Ardeidae) (Order: Pelecaniformes, Family: Ardeidae (/guide/browse/taxonomy/Ardeidae)) Browse Species in This Family (/guide/browse/taxonomy/Ardeidae) More to Read American Bittern (/guide/American_Bittern/overview) Least Bittern (/guide/Least_Bittern/overview) Yellow-crow (/gui crowned_Nigh How To Identify White Herons (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/howto-identify-white-herons-excerpt-frombetter-birding-book/) Living Bird Magazine Moneyball For Shorebirds: How (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/moneyballfor-shorebirds-how-precision-analytics-arechanging-habitat-conservation/) What Is The Difference Between A Beak And A Bill? (https://ww is-the-differe eBird Mesmerizing Migration: Watch 118 (https://w migration map-of-th (http://www.birds.cornell.edu/? __hstc=75100365.51166af58a57026109f86145a58c1a6c.1725588178880.1725588178880.172558817888 Precision Analytics Are Changing Habitat Conservation How Do I Keep Herons From Eating The Fish In My Pond? (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/howdo-i-keep-herons-from-eating-the-fish-in-mypond/) Bird Species Migrate Across A Map Of The Western Hemisphere Living Bird Magazine Learn How To ID These 5 Confusing Streaked Sparrows (https://www how-to-id-the sparrows/) © 2024 Cornell University Habitat Marshes Food Fish Nesting Tree Behavior Stalking Conservation Low Concern Habitat Great Egrets live in freshwater, brackish, and marine wetlands. During the breeding season they live in colonies in trees or shrubs with other waterbirds, ranging across the southeastern states and in scattered spots throughout the rest of the U.S. and southern Canada. The colonies are located on lakes, ponds, marshes, estuaries, impoundments, and islands. Great Egrets use similar habitats for migration Great Egret Life History ew)  ID info (/guide/Great_Egret/id)  Life History (/guide/Great_Egret/lifehistory)  Maps (/guide/Great_Egret/mapsrange) (/ Habitat Food Nesting Behavior Conservation Credits Birds of the World (https:// __hstc=75100365.51166af58a57026109f86145a58c1a6c.17255881 (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/) stopover sites and wintering grounds. They hunt in marshes, swamps, streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, impoundments, lagoons, tidal flats, canals, ditches, fishrearing ponds, flooded farm fields, and sometimes upland habitats.  Back to top Food The Great Egret eats mainly small fish but also eats amphibians, reptiles, birds, small mammals and invertebrates such as crayfish, prawns, shrimp, polychaete worms, isopods, dragonflies and damselflies, whirligig beetles, giant water bugs, and grasshoppers. It hunts in belly-deep or shallower water in marine, brackish, and freshwater wetlands, alone or in groups. It wades as it searches for prey, or simply stands still to wait for prey to approach.  Back to top Nesting NEST PLACEMENT Males choose the display areas, where nests are later constructed. The nest itself is up to 100 feet off the ground, often over water, usually in or near the top of a shrub or tree such as a redwood, tamarisk, live oak, eastern redcedar, yaupon (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/) holly, wax myrtle, mangrove, Australian pine, buttonwood, Brazilian pepper, black willow, or privet. Great Egrets occasionally nest on the ground or on artificial platforms. NEST DESCRIPTION The male builds a nest platform from long sticks and twigs before pairing up with a female, and then both members of the pair may collaborate to complete the nest, though the male sometimes finishes it himself. The nest is up to 3 feet across and 1 foot deep. It is lined with pliable plant material that dries to form a cup structure. They don’t typically reuse nests from year to year. NESTING FACTS  Back to top Clutch Size: 1-6 eggs Number of Broods: 1-2 broods Egg Length: 2.2-2.4 in (5.5-6 cm) Egg Width: 1.6-1.7 in (4-4.3 cm) Incubation Period: 23-27 days Nestling Period: 21-25 days Egg Description: Smooth, pale greenish blue. Condition at Hatching: Long, white down covering the back; eyes open. (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/) Behavior The Great Egret walks with its neck extended and its wings held close to its body. In flight, it is graceful and buoyant, with its neck tucked back against its shoulders and its legs trailing behind. Great Egrets form monogamous pairs each breeding season, though it’s not known whether the pair bond lasts through multiple years. Early in the breeding season adults grow long plumes on their backs, which they raise in courtship displays. Males perform most of the displays, which can involve preening the wings, ducking the head, holding and shaking twigs in the bill, and stretching the neck. Nestlings compete fiercely with each other, and dominant chicks sometimes end up stabbing the youngest siblings to death. The chicks also threaten and attack intruders.  Back to top Conservation Great Egret populations increased by approximately 1.5% per year across most of their range from 1966 to 2019, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey (https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/about/). Partners in Flight (https://pif.birdconservancy.org/ACAD/Database.aspx) (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/) estimates there are 9.5 million breeding birds on the continent, and rates them 6 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score (http://www.stateofthebirds.org/2016/overview/methods/? __hstc=75100365.51166af58a57026109f86145a58c1a6c.17255 indicating a species of low conservation concern. More than 95% of the Great Egrets in North America were killed for their plumes to decorate hats in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Plume-hunting was banned, for the most part, around 1910, and Great Egret populations quickly began to recover. Since the 1930s, the egrets have had to contend with major habitat loss and degradation, as well as threats like contaminated runoff from farm fields or sewage treatment. However, their populations appear stable and compared to other egrets and herons, Great Egrets seem to be unfazed by habitat loss on a localized scale, even in extremely altered landscapes like the Everglades. Since Great Egrets are large, very mobile birds with flexible habitat preferences, environmental changes may be affecting them at a larger scale that has yet to be studied.  Back to top Credits Kushlan, J. A., M. J. Steinkamp, K. C. Parsons, J. Capp, M. A. Cruz, M. Coulter, I. Davidson, L. Dickson, N. Edelson, R. Elliott, R. M. Erwin, S. Hatch, S. Kress, R. Milko, S. Miller, K. Mills, R. Paul, R. Phillips, J. E. Saliva, (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/) W. Sydeman, J. Trapp, J. Wheeler and K. Wohl (2002). Waterbird conservation for the Americas: The North American waterbird conservation plan, version 1. Washington, DC, USA. Lutmerding, J. A. and A. S. Love. (2020). Longevity records of North American birds. Version 2020. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Bird Banding Laboratory 2020. McCrimmon Jr., Donald A., John C. Ogden and G. Thomas Bancroft. (2011). Great Egret (Ardea alba), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, USA. Partners in Flight. (2020). Avian Conservation Assessment Database, version 2020. Sauer, J. R., D. K. Niven, J. E. Hines, D. J. Ziolkowski Jr., K. L. Pardieck, J. E. Fallon, and W. A. Link (2019). The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1966–2019. Version 2.07.2019. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD, USA. Sibley, D. A. (2014). The Sibley Guide to Birds, second edition. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, NY, USA.  Back to top (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/) Compare with Similar Species Click on an image to compare Speciesin This Family Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns (/guide/browse/taxonomy/Ardeidae) (Order: Pelecaniformes, Family: Ardeidae (/guide/browse/taxonomy/Ardeidae)) Snowy Egret (/guide/Great_Egret/speciescompare/70611051) Great Blue Heron (/guide/Great_Egret/speciescompare/60314301) L (/guid co Looking for ID Help? Our free app offers quick ID help with global coverage. 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