The great egret, a striking and elegant wading bird, is widely distributed across tropical and warmer temperate regions globally. Its presence makes it a recognizable figure in many wetland ecosystems.
Distinctive Features
The great egret is a large heron, standing up to 1 meter (3 feet 3 inches) tall, with a body length ranging from 80 to 104 cm (31 to 41 inches) and a wingspan of 131 to 170 cm (52 to 67 inches). Its plumage is entirely white throughout its life. This appearance is often enhanced by long, delicate ornamental feathers on its back during the breeding season.
A distinguishing characteristic of the great egret is its long, spearlike bill, which is yellow for most of the year. During the breeding season, this bill can turn a more orange-yellow, sometimes with a blackish upper ridge. In populations found in the Eastern Hemisphere, the bill may even turn mostly black during the early breeding season. Its legs and feet are black, contrasting with its yellow bill and white feathers. These specific features, particularly the combination of a yellow bill and black legs, help differentiate it from similar-looking birds like the snowy egret (black bill, yellow feet) or the “Great White Heron” (a subspecies of Great Blue Heron) which has pale legs.
Ecosystem Role and Diet
Great egrets inhabit aquatic environments such as freshwater, brackish, and marine wetlands. They are frequently found in marshes, swamps, streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, estuaries, and tidal flats across continents like Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe. They also use impoundments, lagoons, canals, ditches, and flooded farm fields for foraging.
The great egret’s diet primarily consists of small fish, but as opportunistic carnivores, they also consume amphibians, reptiles, small mammals, and invertebrates like crayfish, prawns, shrimp, dragonflies, and grasshoppers. Great egrets employ a patient hunting technique, wading slowly through shallow water or standing motionless, waiting for unsuspecting prey to come within striking distance. They then capture their prey with a rapid, dagger-like thrust of their bill. They also hunt on land in grassy areas or mown fields.
Nesting Habits and Conservation
Great egrets are solitary foragers but congregate in large colonies, known as rookeries, during the breeding season. These colonies are shared with other wading bird species like cormorants and ibises, situated in trees or shrubs, usually over water for predator protection. Males initiate the nesting process by selecting a display area and building a platform of sticks and twigs to attract a mate.
Courtship displays involve the male exhibiting long, delicate plumes, called aigrettes, which grow on their backs during this period. Both parents collaborate to complete the nest and share the incubation duties for their clutch of 3 to 4 pale blue-green eggs, which hatch in 23 to 26 days. The young hatchlings begin to clamber out of the nest at three weeks and are capable of flight by six to seven weeks of age.
The great egret faced population declines in the late 19th and early 20th centuries due to plume hunting. Their decorative feathers were sought for the fashion industry, leading to the killing of millions of birds. This left nestlings to starve. However, with the implementation of conservation laws and the establishment of protected areas, such as the first national wildlife refuge on Pelican Island in 1903, populations recovered. The species is now listed as “Least Concern” by the IUCN, with populations showing an increase of approximately 1.5% per year across much of their range from 1966 to 2019. Despite this recovery, ongoing threats include habitat loss and degradation due to urbanization, water management practices, and pollution.