Cattle or Great White Egret? (1 Viewer)

[sthwild]

Not sure if it's a Cattle Egret in winter plumage or Great White. Taken last february in Lee Valley Park, London.

 

[Butty]

Great egret

 

[KC Foggin]

Great White Egret

 

[THE_FERN]

Great egret

Yes agree. Various reasons: shape including leg length cf neck length [both long], gape extends past eye etc.

 

[Andy Adcock]

This looks like Intermediate to me, no obvious kink in the neck and the gape line ends at rear of eye which is at the long end for Intermediate but the line is not obviously beyond the rear of the eye?

ASK THE EXPERTS ABOUT GREAT AND INTERMEDIATE EGRETS

Randy Weisser asks the experts how to distinguish between Intermediate and Great Egrets. WBCP member Randy Weisser asks this month’s bird identification question. The three bird experts consulted a…

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[mummymonkey]

Were these photos taken in Asia then the apparently short, straight neck would give pause for thought.
Everything else looks okay for great.

 

[johnallcock]

I don't think Intermediate would ever show yellow legs like this - they can be slightly paler at the base during breeding, but not as extensively yellow as this, extending onto the tarsus. Even our Great (modesta) in Hong Kong don't show this leg pattern, and would typically have completely black legs in February.

 

[Butty]

Herons' legs are so variable I don't take that much notice of them.

 

[aeshna5]

Were these photos taken in Asia then the apparently short, straight neck would give pause for thought.
Everything else looks okay for great.

It says London, which would make Intermediate very unlikely if true!

 

[sicklebill]

The loral line indicates Great White, extends behind the eye, and Lee Valley would be another clue.....

 

[Andy Hurley]

It says London, which would make Intermediate very unlikely if true!

Does the London area have a higher percentage of escapees, or their descendants? If not then unlikely, but you can never rule out escapes and their offspring. Just sayin', especially in an area where there are a higher percentage of richer philanthopists...Lee Valley Regional Park – Wetland Link International

 

[aeshna5]

Does the London area have a higher percentage of escapees, or their descendants? If not then unlikely, but you can never rule out escapes and their offspring. Just sayin', especially in an area where there are a higher percentage of richer philanthopists...Lee Valley Regional Park – Wetland Link International

Never heard of any escaped egrets in the London area or recall seeing any Intermediate listed in the escapes section of the London Bird Report. Great Egret turned up in small numbers earlier in the year, so would say far more likely.

 

[sbiswas.geo]

The length of gape is far too extended for an Intermediate. It is a Great Egret. But I have never seen them with so much yellow in leg.