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Difference between revisions of "Snowy Egret" - BirdForum Opus

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[[Image:Snowy_Egret.jpg|thumb|450px|right|Breeding adult<br />Photo by: {{user|Peacefrog2|Peacefrog2}}<br />San Diego, [[California]]]]
 
;[[:Category:Egretta|Egretta]] thula
 
;[[:Category:Egretta|Egretta]] thula
 
[[Image:Snowy_Egret.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Breeding adult. Photo: Peacefog 2<br />Location: San Diego, California]]
 
[[Image:d08_2172.jpg|thumb|450px|right|Adult in non-breeding plumage and coloration. Photo by {{user|Gary+Clark|Gary Clark}}. <br/>Location: Acapulco, [[Mexico]].]]
 
 
 
==Identification==
 
==Identification==
61 cm. Slim black bill, long black legs with yellow feet. The area of the upper bill, in front of the eyes, is yellow but turns red during the breeding season (Feb-Jul), when the adults also gain recurved plumes on the back, making for a "shaggy" effect. The juvenile looks similar to the adult, but the base of the bill is paler, and a green or yellow line runs down the back of the legs.
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(18¾-26¾ in) 47·5–68 cm <br />
 
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*All white plumage
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*Nape plume (longer in summer)
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*Thin black bill
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*Long black legs with yellow feet
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*The area between the nostrils and eyes, is yellow but turns red during the breeding season (February-July).<br />
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'''Juvenile''': similar to the adult; bill base is paler. The legs have a green or yellow line down the back.
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====Similar Species====
 +
[[Little Egret]]<sup>[[#References|[2]]]</sup>
  
 
==Distribution==
 
==Distribution==
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[[Image:IMG 8136c.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Photo by {{user|macshark|macshark}}<br />Baylands Nature Preserve, Palo Alto, [[California]], June 2009]]
 
Breeds in [[North America]] on the east coast from Long Island south to Florida, on the Gulf Coast and inland in the lower Mississippi Valley, on the southern California coast and also in scattered inland areas mainly from the Central Valley of California east to Colorado. To the south breeds on both Mexican coasts and over much of [[Central America]] and in [[South America]] south to Valdivia in [[Chile]] in the west and Buenos Aires, [[Argentina]] in the east.
 
Breeds in [[North America]] on the east coast from Long Island south to Florida, on the Gulf Coast and inland in the lower Mississippi Valley, on the southern California coast and also in scattered inland areas mainly from the Central Valley of California east to Colorado. To the south breeds on both Mexican coasts and over much of [[Central America]] and in [[South America]] south to Valdivia in [[Chile]] in the west and Buenos Aires, [[Argentina]] in the east.
 
   
 
   
 
Northernmost and inland populations are migratory and move southwards, coastal birds are more sedentary but post-breeding dispersal takes some birds north to southern [[Canada]].  
 
Northernmost and inland populations are migratory and move southwards, coastal birds are more sedentary but post-breeding dispersal takes some birds north to southern [[Canada]].  
  
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In the [[Western Palearctic]] recorded three times in or near [[Iceland]], and five have been seen in the [[Azores]]. The first, and so far only, [[Britain|British]] record was of an immature on Seil Island in Argyll, [[Scotland]] in October 2001 and still present in the general area in June 2002. After a brief disappearance it turned up again on the [[Caerlaverock Wetland Centre|Solway Firth]] in September 2002.
 
==Taxonomy==
 
==Taxonomy==
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[[File:Snowy_Egret_STF.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Photo &copy; by {{user|STEFFRO1|Robert Steffens}}<br />Huntington Beach State Park, [[South Carolina]], [[USA]], 8 July 2020]]
 
Slightly larger western USA birds are sometimes separated as ''brewsteri''.
 
Slightly larger western USA birds are sometimes separated as ''brewsteri''.
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====Subspecies<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>====
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*''E. t. thula'':
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:*Locally from [[US]] to central [[Argentina]] and [[West Indies]]
  
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*''E. t. brewsteri'':
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:*Western [[US]] to [[Baja California]] and coastal north-western [[Mexico]]
 
==Habitat==
 
==Habitat==
 
Lakeshores and riverbanks, mangroves, shallow lagoons and on tidal mudflats and estuaries, sometimes on grasslands.
 
Lakeshores and riverbanks, mangroves, shallow lagoons and on tidal mudflats and estuaries, sometimes on grasslands.
 
==Behaviour==
 
==Behaviour==
They nest in colonies. The flat, shallow nests are made of sticks and lined with fine twigs and rushes. 3-4 greenish-blue, oval eggs are incubated by both adults. The young leave the nest in 20 to 25 days.
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====Breeding====
 
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Colonial nesters, forming flat, shallow nests made of sticks and lined with fine twigs and rushes. Three or four greenish-blue, oval eggs are incubated by both adults. The young leave the nest in 20 to 25 days.
The diet includes fish, crustaceans, and insects. They stalk prey in shallow water, often running or shuffling their feet, flushing prey into view.
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====Diet====
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The diet consists of shrimps, small fish, frogs, molluscs, crustaceans, and insects, which are hunted in shallow water.
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==References==
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#{{Ref-Clements6thAug19}}#[http://ttbsdc.ttfnc.org/SECB/records/idlittlesnowyegret.html An identification essay] comparing Little and Snowy Egrets
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#Parsons, K. C. and T. L. Master (2020). Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.snoegr.01
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#Wikipedia
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#Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6
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{{ref}}
  
 
==External Links==
 
==External Links==
{{GSearch|Snowy+Egret}}
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Search the Gallery using the scientific name:
 
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{{GSearch|"Egretta thula"}}
[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Egretta]]
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Search the Gallery using the common name:
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{{GSearch|"Snowy Egret"}}
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{{GS-checked}}
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<br />
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<br />
  
*[http://www.geocities.com/secaribbirds/idlittlesnowyegret An identification essay comparing Little and Snowy Egrets]
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[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Egretta]]

Latest revision as of 20:31, 4 March 2022

Breeding adult
Photo by: Peacefrog2
San Diego, California
Egretta thula

Identification

(18¾-26¾ in) 47·5–68 cm

  • All white plumage
  • Nape plume (longer in summer)
  • Thin black bill
  • Long black legs with yellow feet
  • The area between the nostrils and eyes, is yellow but turns red during the breeding season (February-July).

Juvenile: similar to the adult; bill base is paler. The legs have a green or yellow line down the back.

Similar Species

Little Egret[2]

Distribution

Photo by macshark
Baylands Nature Preserve, Palo Alto, California, June 2009

Breeds in North America on the east coast from Long Island south to Florida, on the Gulf Coast and inland in the lower Mississippi Valley, on the southern California coast and also in scattered inland areas mainly from the Central Valley of California east to Colorado. To the south breeds on both Mexican coasts and over much of Central America and in South America south to Valdivia in Chile in the west and Buenos Aires, Argentina in the east.

Northernmost and inland populations are migratory and move southwards, coastal birds are more sedentary but post-breeding dispersal takes some birds north to southern Canada.

In the Western Palearctic recorded three times in or near Iceland, and five have been seen in the Azores. The first, and so far only, British record was of an immature on Seil Island in Argyll, Scotland in October 2001 and still present in the general area in June 2002. After a brief disappearance it turned up again on the Solway Firth in September 2002.

Taxonomy

Photo © by Robert Steffens
Huntington Beach State Park, South Carolina, USA, 8 July 2020

Slightly larger western USA birds are sometimes separated as brewsteri.

Subspecies[1]

  • E. t. thula:
  • E. t. brewsteri:

Habitat

Lakeshores and riverbanks, mangroves, shallow lagoons and on tidal mudflats and estuaries, sometimes on grasslands.

Behaviour

Breeding

Colonial nesters, forming flat, shallow nests made of sticks and lined with fine twigs and rushes. Three or four greenish-blue, oval eggs are incubated by both adults. The young leave the nest in 20 to 25 days.

Diet

The diet consists of shrimps, small fish, frogs, molluscs, crustaceans, and insects, which are hunted in shallow water.

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. An identification essay comparing Little and Snowy Egrets
  3. Parsons, K. C. and T. L. Master (2020). Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole and F. B. Gill, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.snoegr.01
  4. Wikipedia
  5. Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6

Recommended Citation

External Links

Search the Gallery using the scientific name:

Search the Gallery using the common name:

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.

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