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Difference between revisions of "Medium Egret" - BirdForum Opus

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[[Image:intermediate_egret_alok.JPG|thumb|550px|right|Breeding Pair<br />Photo by {{user|aloktewari|Alok Tewari}}<br />[[Keoladeo National Park]], Bharatpur, [[India]], July-2015]]
 
[[Image:intermediate_egret_alok.JPG|thumb|550px|right|Breeding Pair<br />Photo by {{user|aloktewari|Alok Tewari}}<br />[[Keoladeo National Park]], Bharatpur, [[India]], July-2015]]
−
'''Alternative Name(s): Yellow-billed Egret, Median Egret'''
+
'''Alternative Name(s): Intermediate Egret'''
−
 
 
−
'''Includes: Yellow-billed Egret, Plumed Egret'''
 
 
;[[:Category:Ardea|Ardea]] intermedia
 
;[[:Category:Ardea|Ardea]] intermedia
 
''Mesophoyx intermedia''<br />
 
''Mesophoyx intermedia''<br />
Line 15: Line 13:
 
*head rounded
 
*head rounded
 
'''Nonbreeding''':
 
'''Nonbreeding''':
−
*bill yellow (sometimes reddish)  
+
*bill yellow (often with black tip)  
 
*legs black below 'knee': yellow, grey or reddish above
 
*legs black below 'knee': yellow, grey or reddish above
 
*Possibly wisps of fine breast plumes
 
*Possibly wisps of fine breast plumes
 
'''Breeding'''
 
'''Breeding'''
 
*Long filmy, erectile plumes on back and breast
 
*Long filmy, erectile plumes on back and breast
−
*Red bill and legs for a short time
+
*Black bill with yellowish lores
 
*Pea-green facial skin
 
*Pea-green facial skin
 +
*Tibia black
 
====Similar Species====
 
====Similar Species====
−
Most similar to [[Great Egret]], especially in parts of south-east asia. Intermediate differs as follows:
+
Most similar to [[Great Egret]], especially in parts of south-east asia (Great Egret subspecies ''modesta''). Medium differs as follows:
  
−
*smaller, daintier, more graceful extended head and neck about equal to body length
+
*smaller, daintier, more graceful with extended head and neck about equal to body length
 +
*line of gape extends to just below eye (Great Egret's extends well past it)
 
*head is rounder
 
*head is rounder
−
*bill shorter and deeper. The shorter bill also gives Intermediate's head a more triangular look than the attenuated snake-like head of Great Egret.
+
*bill shorter and deeper (around 1-1.5x head length cf 2x for Great). The shorter bill also gives Intermediate's head a more triangular look than the attenuated snake-like head of Great Egret
−
*line of gape extends to just below eye (Great Egret's extends well past it)
+
* Medium may have a black bill tip which is present year round and usually absent from Great [[#References|[4]]]
−
*feathered chin of Intermediate extends farther forward along the [[Dictionary_G-L#G|gonys-spot]]
+
* feathered chin of Medium extends farther forward along the lower mandible
−
* (Intermediate frequently had a less pronounced neck kink than Great. However, this character is not failsafe: an egret without a link is likely Intermediate but one with one may not be Great)
+
* adult Medium usually has longer plumes on the breast
 +
* Medium tends to be in more vegetated, marshy sites
 +
* (Medium frequently has a less pronounced neck kink than Great. However, this character is not failsafe: an egret without a link is likely Medium but one with one may not be Great)
 +
 
 +
Breeding Medium with its black bill may be confused with [[Little Egret]]. The latter is distinguished as follows:
 +
* Little Egret has a slim, dagger-like bill. Mediums is comparatively thicker
 +
* Little Egret has a proportionately longer neck and is slimmer bodied
 +
* Foot colour is yellow in ''garzetta'' Little Egret, legs black (but all-black legs and feet in ''nigripes'')
 +
* facial skin is bluish in ''garzetta'' Little Egret. It's yellow in the ''nigripes'' subspecies but tends to be a stronger chrome yellow shade
 +
 
 +
You can confuse yellow-billed non-breeding ''intermedia'' with non-breeding [[Eastern Cattle Egret]]. The latter:
 +
* is significantly smaller (where this is possible to judge). The largest Cattle Egrets are around 85% of the smallest Mediums
 +
* is more squat with a proportionately shorter neck
 +
* has facial skin the same colour as its bill (usually a different, paler yellow in Medium)
 +
* has throat and chin feathering which extends further along the lower mandible than in Medium
 +
* is more round-headed in appearance with a "deeper" head
 +
* shows less tibia above the "knee" than Medium
 +
* lacks the more extensive diaphanous plumes hanging from Medium's scapulars and breast (may be difficult to see)
  
 
==Distribution==
 
==Distribution==
 
[[Image:25985int egret f.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Photo by {{user|bgopal|bgopal}}<br />Bangalore, [[India]], November 2005<br />Click on image for larger version]]
 
[[Image:25985int egret f.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Photo by {{user|bgopal|bgopal}}<br />Bangalore, [[India]], November 2005<br />Click on image for larger version]]
−
A widespread Old World species.<br />
+
[[Japan]] to southern [[India]] and [[Greater Sundas]] east to southern [[China]], southern [[Korea]] and south to the [[Philippines]]. western [[Borneo]], [[Sumatra]] and [[Java]]. Northern Asian birds are migratory and vagrants have been recorded north to Sakhalin. On May 31st, 2006 a dead Intermediate Egret was found on Buldir Island in [[Alaska|Alaska's]] Aleutian Island chain. It constituted the first record for [[North America]].  
−
Found throughout much of sub-Saharan [[Africa]] from [[Senegal]] to [[Sudan]] and south to South Africa but absent from the most arid and densely forested areas.<br />
 
−
Also occurs over much of the [[India|Indian]] subcontinent, east to southern [[China]], southern [[Korea]] and southern [[Japan]] and south to the [[Philippines]]. western [[Borneo]], [[Sumatra]] and [[Java]]. Further east occurs in southern [[New Guinea]] and in [[Australia]] mainly in the north and east.<br />
 
−
Northern Asian birds are migratory, those from Africa merely dispersive.<br />
 
−
Recorded as a scarce spring and summer visitor to the Banc D'Arguin in [[Mauritania]], and a vagrant to the [[Cape Verde Islands]], [[Egypt]] and at the Dead Sea in [[Jordan]].<br />
 
−
In May 2001 the first Intermediate Egret for [[Europe]] was recorded in a small wetland close to Rome, [[Italy]], and remained there until August. In Asia vagrants have been recorded north to Sakhalin.<br />
 
−
Australian birds may undergo migratory movements and may occur only in [[New Guinea]] in winter.<br />
 
−
On May 31st, 2006 a dead Intermediate Egret was found on Buldir Island in [[Alaska|Alaska's]] Aleutian Island chain. It constituted the first record for [[North America]].  
 
 
==Taxonomy==
 
==Taxonomy==
−
Which genus this bird belongs to was for a long time not clear, it was placed in ''[[:Category:Egretta|Egretta]]'' or in ''[[:Category:Mesophoyx|Mesophoyx]]'', However, most authorities now agree on ''[[:Category:Ardea|Ardea]]''.
+
Formerly considered a race of "Intermediate Egret," ''A. intermedia'' but now elevated to a full species. Formerly placed in ''[[:Category:Egretta|Egretta]]'' or in ''[[:Category:Mesophoyx|Mesophoyx]]'', however, most authorities now agree on ''[[:Category:Ardea|Ardea]]''.
−
 
+
====Subpecies====
−
The Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive now recognizes the three subspecies as full species: "Yellow-billed Egret", ''A. brachyrhyncha'' (ssp. ''brachyrhyncha''), "Intermediate Egret", ''A. intermedia'' (ssp. ''intermedia'') and "Plumed Egret", ''A. plumifera'' (ssp. ''plumifera'').
+
This is a [[Dictionary_M-O#M|monotypic]] species. <sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>
−
====Subspecies====
 
−
Clements recognises the following subspecies [[#References|[1]]]:
 
−
*''A. i. intermedia'': "'''Intermediate Egret'''". [[Japan]] to southern [[India]] and [[Greater Sundas]]
 
−
*''A. i. plumifera'': "'''Plumed Egret'''". [[New Guinea]], eastern [[Indonesia]] and [[Australia]]
 
−
*''A. i. brachyrhyncha'': "'''Yellow-billed Egret'''". Africa south of the Sahara
 
−
 
 
 
==Habitat==
 
==Habitat==
 
Freshwaters, including slow-flowing rivers, lakes and swamps, also coastal mudflats and mangroves, sometimes grassland.
 
Freshwaters, including slow-flowing rivers, lakes and swamps, also coastal mudflats and mangroves, sometimes grassland.
Line 60: Line 64:
 
Their diet consists of smaller fish, eels, frogs, snakes and insects.
 
Their diet consists of smaller fish, eels, frogs, snakes and insects.
 
==References==
 
==References==
−
#{{Ref-Clements6thAug18}}#Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved July 2015)
+
#{{Ref-Clements6thOct23}}#Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved July 2015)
 
#BF Member observations
 
#BF Member observations
 +
#{{Ref-Eatonetal21}}
 
{{ref}}
 
{{ref}}
 +
 
==External Links==
 
==External Links==
 
{{GSearch|"Ardea intermedia"  {{!}} "Mesophoyx intermedia" {{!}} "Egretta intermedia" {{!}} "Intermediate Egret"}}
 
{{GSearch|"Ardea intermedia"  {{!}} "Mesophoyx intermedia" {{!}} "Egretta intermedia" {{!}} "Intermediate Egret"}}

Latest revision as of 02:14, 14 April 2024

Breeding Pair
Photo by Alok Tewari
Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, India, July-2015

Alternative Name(s): Intermediate Egret

Ardea intermedia

Mesophoyx intermedia
Egretta intermedia

Identification

Non-breeding
Photo by rony_roshtov
Yotveta, Israel, November 2004

56–72 cm (22-28 in). Medium-sized white egret.

  • all white
  • bill relatively short (medium), robust
  • gape does not extend beyond eye
  • neck generally without pronounced kink (or reduced compared with Great Egret)
  • head rounded

Nonbreeding:

  • bill yellow (often with black tip)
  • legs black below 'knee': yellow, grey or reddish above
  • Possibly wisps of fine breast plumes

Breeding

  • Long filmy, erectile plumes on back and breast
  • Black bill with yellowish lores
  • Pea-green facial skin
  • Tibia black

Similar Species

Most similar to Great Egret, especially in parts of south-east asia (Great Egret subspecies modesta). Medium differs as follows:

  • smaller, daintier, more graceful with extended head and neck about equal to body length
  • line of gape extends to just below eye (Great Egret's extends well past it)
  • head is rounder
  • bill shorter and deeper (around 1-1.5x head length cf 2x for Great). The shorter bill also gives Intermediate's head a more triangular look than the attenuated snake-like head of Great Egret
  • Medium may have a black bill tip which is present year round and usually absent from Great [4]
  • feathered chin of Medium extends farther forward along the lower mandible
  • adult Medium usually has longer plumes on the breast
  • Medium tends to be in more vegetated, marshy sites
  • (Medium frequently has a less pronounced neck kink than Great. However, this character is not failsafe: an egret without a link is likely Medium but one with one may not be Great)

Breeding Medium with its black bill may be confused with Little Egret. The latter is distinguished as follows:

  • Little Egret has a slim, dagger-like bill. Mediums is comparatively thicker
  • Little Egret has a proportionately longer neck and is slimmer bodied
  • Foot colour is yellow in garzetta Little Egret, legs black (but all-black legs and feet in nigripes)
  • facial skin is bluish in garzetta Little Egret. It's yellow in the nigripes subspecies but tends to be a stronger chrome yellow shade

You can confuse yellow-billed non-breeding intermedia with non-breeding Eastern Cattle Egret. The latter:

  • is significantly smaller (where this is possible to judge). The largest Cattle Egrets are around 85% of the smallest Mediums
  • is more squat with a proportionately shorter neck
  • has facial skin the same colour as its bill (usually a different, paler yellow in Medium)
  • has throat and chin feathering which extends further along the lower mandible than in Medium
  • is more round-headed in appearance with a "deeper" head
  • shows less tibia above the "knee" than Medium
  • lacks the more extensive diaphanous plumes hanging from Medium's scapulars and breast (may be difficult to see)

Distribution

Photo by bgopal
Bangalore, India, November 2005
Click on image for larger version

Japan to southern India and Greater Sundas east to southern China, southern Korea and south to the Philippines. western Borneo, Sumatra and Java. Northern Asian birds are migratory and vagrants have been recorded north to Sakhalin. On May 31st, 2006 a dead Intermediate Egret was found on Buldir Island in Alaska's Aleutian Island chain. It constituted the first record for North America.

Taxonomy

Formerly considered a race of "Intermediate Egret," A. intermedia but now elevated to a full species. Formerly placed in Egretta or in Mesophoyx, however, most authorities now agree on Ardea.

Subpecies

This is a monotypic species. [1]

Habitat

Freshwaters, including slow-flowing rivers, lakes and swamps, also coastal mudflats and mangroves, sometimes grassland.

Behaviour

Breeding

Breeds in colonies, often with other species of herons/egrets.

Diet

Their diet consists of smaller fish, eels, frogs, snakes and insects.

References

  1. Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2023. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2023. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved July 2015)
  3. BF Member observations
  4. Eaton, JA, B van Balen, NW Brickle, FE Rheindt 2021. Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago (Greater Sundas and Wallacea), Second Edition. Lynx Editions. ISBN978-84-16728-44-2

Recommended Citation

External Links


GSearch checked for 2020 platform.

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