Egrets

Egrets are in the heron family as explained in the "Heron Introduction" gallery of this website. The Everglades is home to four egret species: The Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Cattle Egret, and the somewhat rare, Reddish Egret. The Great and Snowy Egrets are highly social all year long, foraging with gulls, terns, ibis, and other herons. They also nest in colonies alongside many other species, including Night-Herons, Glossy Ibis, Little Blue Herons, Tri-colored Herons, Cattle Egrets, and Roseate Spoonbills. The Great and Snowy Egrets wade in both shallow fresh & salt water to hunt fish, frogs, and other small aquatic animals. Great Egrets typically stand still and watch for unsuspecting prey to pass by. Then, with startling speed, the egret strikes with a jab of their long neck and yellow bill. In addition, Snowy Egrets also dart from the water’s edge, tree limbs, or bushes to capture prey in flight with their sharp black bill. Snowy Egrets have bright yellow feet in contrast to the black feet of the Great Egret. Both species have black legs. The closely related and look-alike, the Great White Heron, sports a yellow bill as well as yellow legs and feet. Another common factor of the Great and Snowy egrets is their elegant breeding feathers of filmy, curving plumes that once fetched astronomical prices in the fashion industry, endangering the species. Early conservationists rallied to protect egrets by the early twentieth century, and this species is once again a common sight in shallow coastal wetlands. (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology)