GREAT EGRET GALLERY
(Ardea alba)

eBird offers the following description for the Great Egret:  Large, pure white heron with daggerlike yellow bill. Long black legs. Note angled kink in the middle of the neck. Forages in shallow wetlands by slowly stalking prey. Often nests in large and noisy colonies, frequently mixed in with other species. Largest and most widespread white heron.  All About Birds adds this descriptive information about the Great Egret:  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.

I saw a large number of Great Egrets on our trip to Rockport in early March of 2020.  I did not have my P1000 at the time, so the best picture I have was taken May 4, 2020 at Crescent Bend Nature Park in Cibolo, Texas.

Great Egret, standing in Cibolo Creek, Crescent Bend Nature Center, May 4, 2020.
Great Egret on Lake McQueeney, as seen from MBY on the morning of October 6, 2020.


“Cool Facts” about the Great Egret from All About Birds…

  • The Great Egret is the symbol of the National Audubon Society, one of the oldest environmental organizations in North America. Audubon was founded 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 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.