Tucson, Arizona
Canon PowerShot SX40HS

Great White Egret

Great egret is a familiar sight in wetland habitats across most of the U.S. but it is relatively rare in Canada. It is nearly as tall as the Great blue Heron but much lighter and more delicate.

in high breeding condition, adults sport vivid grass green loral skin and long nuptial plumes on their backs.

• A group of egrets has many collective nouns, including a “congregation”, “heronry”, “RSVP”, “skewer”, and “wedge” of egrets.

VOICE Similar to the Great Blue Heron but uninflected, lower and less resonent; Breeding bird gives ducklike gabbling

INTERESTING FACTS

• A group of egrets has many collective nouns, including a “congregation”, “heronry”, “RSVP”, “skewer”, and “wedge” of egrets.
• Association of the Little Egret with the Snowy Egret in the Caribbean during winter may account for its appearance in the Northeast. This is a similar situation to the colonization of Cattle Egrets in North America.
• The Little Egret starred in a BBC documentary that recorded the movement of permanent populations from the Mediterranean into the U.K as a result of milder winters.