Species

Great egret

Ardea alba

A tall, pure-white heron with a yellow bill, whose plumes nearly caused its extinction and started the bird protection movement.

Photo Brocken Inaglory (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab)

Misconceptions

At a glance

Size: About 94 to 104 cm tall; wingspan about 1.3 to 1.5 m
Weight: About 700 to 1,500 g
Habitat: Marshes, ponds, rivers, ditches and coastal wetlands
Diet: Fish, frogs, crayfish, snakes and small mammals
In Georgia: Common all year; more on the coast in winter
Voice: A low, croaking "kraak"
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Large, all white; long yellow bill; black legs and feet
Told apart from: Snowy egret, which is smaller with a black bill and yellow feet
Told apart from: Young little blue heron, which is smaller with a grey-tipped bill and greenish legs
Where to look: Almost any wetland, standing tall and still

Behaviour

Great egrets hunt by standing still or walking slowly, then striking. In breeding season they grow long, lacy plumes on their backs.

Why they matter

In the late 1800s, great egrets were killed by the millions for their plumes, which decorated hats. Outrage at the slaughter helped found the early Audubon societies and led to laws protecting birds. The great egret became the symbol of the National Audubon Society and a lasting sign of what protection can achieve.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A platform of sticks in trees over water, in colonies
Eggs — Usually three or four
Incubation — About 23 to 27 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents; siblings compete fiercely
Flight — At about six to seven weeks
Lifespan — Wild birds over twenty years are recorded

Living around people

Herons and egrets tangled in fishing line need a rehabilitator.
Colonies near homes are protected; disturbing them in nesting season can cause failure.

Misconceptions

All white herons are the same bird. Georgia has several, told apart by size, bill and leg colour.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Present	Colonies forming	Nesting	Nesting	Chicks	Chicks	Young fledging	Young dispersing	Present	Present	Present	Present

Where it lives

Recorded in 84 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

If you found one

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