Page 83 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

BITTERNS AND HERONS
Order Ciconiiformes Family Ardeidae Species Egretta alba
Great White Egret

all-white plumage
arched (long back plumes
wings in summer) very long
neck
yellow bill,
often dark
at tip

SUMMER
IN FLIGHT

yellowish
or blackish
legs with
dark feet
WINTER
hen it stands next to a Grey
WHeron, the actual size
of the Great White Egret
is apparent: it is truly a FLIGHT: slow, direct, on arched wings; heavier,
giant egret, as tall as the slower than Little Egret.
heron, if not standing
a little higher. Slim,
angular, but elegant, this
stunningly white bird is easily WINTER
seen at long range. It develops long
back plumes in the breeding season, at which time
the bill turns blackish.The Great White Egret often
feeds in grassy, relatively dry, places, leaning forward,
sometimes with a fast, shimmering tremor through
the whole body as it homes in on its prey.
VOICE Mostly silent.
NESTING Shallow plat-
form of sticks in tree; 2–5
eggs; 1 brood;April–July.
FEEDING Catches fish,
amphibians, and small NESTING ON TREES
mammals in wet places. Great White Egrets often perch on tall trees overlooking a marsh. They
are sociable in summer, nesting in colonies in trees.
SIMILAR SPECIES
OCCURRENCE
LITTLE EGRET Summer visitor, migrant, or winter
see p.80
visitor within SE Europe, rare at all
times in W Europe. In reedbeds
much and extensive floods, or beside
smaller COURTSHIP DISPLAY big, more open lakes, or on tall
In spring, the Great White Egret trees near marshes.
spreads its long body plumes in
yellow a spectacular courtship display Seen in the UK
feet JF M A M J JA S ON D
at the nest.
Length 85–100cm (34–39in) Wingspan 1.45–1.7m (4 3 ⁄4 –5 1 ⁄2ft) Weight 1–1.5kg (2 1 ⁄4 –3 1 ⁄4lb)
Social Small flocks Lifespan 10–15 years Status Secure
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