Great Egret or Great Blue (white phase) (1 Viewer)

[sirijay]

I took this photo at the in Oakland. I have seen numerous Great Egrets but this particular bird impressed me with its sheer bulk and size. The egrets I have seen before in comparison, appeared to be far more thinner and smaller in size. Hence the question. Is this a a white morph of the Great Blue Heron? Thanks for your help.

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Great egret in my opinion

 

[KC Foggin]

Great White for me

 

[birdmeister]

This one's a Great Egret. The bill is significantly thinner than a white Great Blue, and also brighter yellow. The legs are just visible and quite black, not the dirty brownish/flesh color of Great Blue.

 

[njlarsen]

Agree with egret

 

[Microtus]

I agree with Great Egret.

 

[RafaelMatias]

I agreegret too

 

[lgonz1008]

The white morph of Great Blue Heron is only seen in the Southern Everglades, Florida Keys and parts of the Caribbean, so finding one outside of this region makes it a true rarity.

Also, so you can have a visual cue of what to look for if you're ever in these regions, here is a photo I took of one late last year in the Flamingo area of the Everglades: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/272015511

 

[Deb Burhinus]

7 now 8 people confirming an ID - 🙄

 

[James Lowther]

just as an aside - Great White Heron Ardea occidentalis has been recently split by Birdlife International (although the split was declined by NACC and IOC)
cheers,
James

 

[Deb Burhinus]

just as an aside - Great White Heron Ardea occidentalis has been recently split by Birdlife International (although the split was declined by NACC and IOC)
cheers,
James

Hope they don’t have any Great Regrets about that 🙃