Alternative names: Great White Egret, White Heron, Common Egret
- Ardea alba
Identification
Height 101cm
Weight 950g
- Large white bird
- Slightly smaller and with a much slimmer build than Great Blue Heron or Grey Heron
- black legs/feet in American populations, but yellow in European birds of subspecies alba and greyish in non-breeding east Asian birds of subspecies modesta.
- bill yellow in most stages
- In short "high breeding" period bill becomes black (at least in Europe)
- lores yellow in most birds, but America birds show green lores in high breeding
- In breeding plumage shows ornamental plumes
Most of the year, distinguished from other egrets by combination of leg/foot and bill color.
Slow flight with retracted neck, characteristic of herons/bitterns (can occasionally be extended, but rarely for long); this distinguishes it from cranes and spoonbills (extended necks).
Distribution
A very widespread bird occurring in North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australasia.
In North America breeds in the west in Oregon and California and over much of the east from southern Ontario and Long Island southwards. Breeds throughout Mexico, Central America and the West Indies and throughout South America except the higher mountains and Patagonia. Post-breeding dispersal takes birds far north and south of main breeding range and vagrants recorded in Newfoundland, on Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands.
A local breeder in the Western Palearctic, after declining for many years has now begun to increase and spread. Breeds in Austria and Hungary, at Lake Skadar on the Montenegro-Albania border, the Danube Delta and at scattered sites in the Ukraine and across southern Russia to the Caspian. Breeding has also recently taken place in the Netherlands, Germany and Slovakia, Poland, Belarus, and Latvia. A rapid colonisation is also occurring in Lithuania, having first bred in 2005 and now taking place in three locations, autumn counts have also expanded to the extent that flocks of up to 300 now occur in prime localities (compared to just odd individuals in the early 1990s). In 1994 the first breeding for France occurred and small numbers now breed in northern Italy. A pair at the Ebro Delta in 1997 was the first breeding record for Spain.
In winter occurs on the north and east coasts of the Adriatic Sea, in southern Greece and western Turkey, in Tunisia, the Nile Delta and in southern Iraq. Increasingly recorded in the Camargue where more than 100 now occur in winter. A vagrant to all European countries, north to Britain, (c.200), Ireland and Norway and throughout the Mediterranean and on the Canaries. Vagrancy is increasing in most areas as population and range increases. Recently recorded for the first time in Iceland. Extremely rare on the Azores and presumably these records involve American race egretta which has also been recorded in the British Isles.
More widespread in Asia breeding from the Caspian Sea and Iran east to the Russian Far East, Korea and southern Japan and south to Malaysia, Indonesia and New Guinea. Northern birds vacate breeding areas in winter. Mainly coastal in Australia but can occur throughout the continent and now breeds on South Island, New Zealand.
Occurs almost throughout sub-Saharan Africa but actual breeding range is little-known. Has been recorded breeding in west, east and southern Africa.
Taxonomy
Various authors also identify this species as Egretta alba and Casmerodius albus. However, this species closely resembles the large Ardea herons such as Grey Heron and Great Blue Heron in everything but colour, whereas it shows fewer similarities to the smaller white egrets.
Subspecies
Four subspecies are currently recognized in various parts of the world:
- A. a. alba - Europe
- A. a. egretta - North America
- A. a. melanorhynchos - Africa
- A. a. modesta - Asia and Australasia.
The last subspecies is increasingly being proposed for full species status, Eastern Great Egret, Ardea modesta. If recognized, this form would replace alba from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh east to south-east China and north the the far east Russia. It would be found from there to Australia and New Zealand. Birds of this form is quite a bit smaller than European alba and with greyish tibia in non-breeding plumage.
Habitat
Lakes and marshes, wet meadows and grassland, breeds in reedbeds or other dense vegetation. On passage and in winter also on mudflats, estuaries and brackish lagoons.
Behaviour
It is a conspicuous species, usually easily seen.
Diet
Feeds in shallow water or drier habitats, spearing fish, frogs or insects with its long, sharp bill. It will often wait motionless for prey, or slowly stalk its victim.
References
- Birdforum thread discussing taxonomy of Great Egret including the possible split of modesta (especially second part of the thread).
External Links
