Snowy Egret Pair
Snowy Egrets (Egretta thula). Photographed at the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge. Titusville, Florida.
A threatened species, the Snowy Egret is a medium-sized, white heron with a slender, black bill, black legs and yellow feet. The area of the upper bill, in front of the eyes, is yellow but turns red during the breeding season. Showy, recurved plumes are present on the back during the breeding season. The snowy egret is much smaller than the great egret.
This species was among the most sought-after of all herons and egrets for its delicate, recurved back plumes, used to adorn women’s hats. In 1886, plumes were valued at an astounding $32 per ounce, twice the contemporary price of gold. Plundering for plumes began about 1880, peaked in 1903, and continued until 1910, when outraged citizens forced the passage of laws that reduced the slaughter.
Herons that utilize pursuit or chase behaviors, like the Snowy Egret, are more specialized and selective than searchers. These behaviors are energetically expensive requiring Snowy Egrets to spend proportionately more time feeding than other species. Thus, they may be particularly sensitive to environmental influences which impact prey density and availability.
Sources:
The Birds of North America Online
USGS.gov
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Snowy Egret Pair belongs to the following groups:
Animal Kingdom, The Birds and Wild Nature Photography & WritingAvailable for sale as Cards, Matted Prints, Laminated Prints, Mounted Prints, Canvas Prints and Framed Prints
Melissa Hintz, 2 months ago
Very beautiful shot!
Ata Alishahi, 2 months ago
just lovely and beautiful :)
Norman Winkworth, 2 months ago
Thank you lovely photo and great commentary.
mjaniceanne, 2 months ago
Beautiful!! They are scarce ib my area.
Gail Bridger, 2 months ago
Wow,,stunning picture. Beautiful birds.
Rebecca Cruz in reply to Gail Bridger’s comment, 2 months ago
Thanks for your kind comments, Gail! Much appreciated :)
Rebecca Cruz in reply to Norman Winkworth’s comment, 2 months ago
Thank you so much, Norman!
lloydsjourney, 2 months ago
beautiful.
love the snowy’s
BethBernier, 2 months ago
Gorgeous! I very much appreciated reading about them as well as seeing this beautiful capture where they seem to be doing just as it was written about the chase behaviors,something which I did not know!
Rebecca Cruz, 2 months ago
Thank you so much, Beth! I so enjoyed watching them, I’m glad you enjoyed the image!
Andromedae, 2 months ago
this is absolutely beautiful shot! they look like synchronous dancers, almost lke clones, and some reflection on a murky water! Great shot! How close did they come to you, and what lenses and camera did you use to shoot them?
TingyWende, 2 months ago
Fabulous pair!
Leena Hedman, 2 months ago
The birds look so consentrated on finding food, usually they are watching the picture taker. Great job!
Rebecca Cruz in reply to Andromedae’s comment, 2 months ago
Hi Andromedae :) The birds were about 10 feet or so from me when I took the picture, feeding in a shallow bit of water just off a wilderness trail in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Preserve. Took me forever to creep up slowly..slowly close enough to get this :) I use a Canon PowerShot S5IS, it’s a fixed lens camera. Thanks for your comment!
Andromedae, 2 months ago
Wow, you did a wonderful job , I guess you had to run home and change afterwards! ;-)
Steve Axford, 2 months ago
What a great pair.
Rebecca Cruz in reply to Steve Axford’s comment, about 1 month ago
Thanks, Steve!