Species
Reddish egret
Egretta rufescens
A shaggy, rusty-headed egret that dashes and staggers through shallow water in a 'drunken' hunting dance.
Photo Matt Schenck (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- About 68 to 82 cm long
- Weight
- About 700 to 850 g
- Habitat
- Shallow coastal flats and lagoons
- Diet
- Small fish
- In Georgia
- A rare but regular visitor to the coast, mostly in late summer
- Voice
- A low croak
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Shaggy, rusty head and neck; grey body; pink bill with a black tip; some birds are all white
- Told apart from
- Little blue heron, which is darker with a maroon head
- Where to look
- Shallow flats near inlets, July to October
Behaviour
Reddish egrets hunt with a lively routine of running, stopping, spinning and raising their wings to form a canopy, which shades the water and may attract fish.
Why they matter
Reddish egrets were among the herons most devastated by the plume trade and remain the rarest heron in North America. Their dramatic hunting makes them one of the most entertaining birds to watch.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Nest — A platform of sticks in mangroves or on islands
Eggs — Usually three or four
Incubation — About 25 to 26 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Lifespan — Several years
Living around people
- Shallow tidal flats where they feed are easily disturbed by boats and people.
Misconceptions
- A heron running and flapping is injured. Reddish egrets hunt this way.
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.
| 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 | Rare visitor | Rare visitor | Rare visitor | Nesting in Florida and Texas | Nesting | Nesting | Young birds wandering north | Visitors on the Georgia coast | Visitors | Visitors | Rare visitor | Rare visitor |
Where it lives
Recorded in 26 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
United States
If you found one
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