A great egret with long breeding plumes roosts in a tree in Narragansett Bay. Courtesy: NOAA

Great Egret (Ardea albus)

Alternate common names: Common Egret, American Egret
Field markings: 39 inches long, with a wingspan of 51 inches. A large, all-white heron with long neck, black legs and feet, and a long yellow bill.
Habitat: Marshes, mud flats, ponds, and coves.
Seasonal appearance: Spring, summer, early fall.

Description

In the breeding season, great egrets have long plumes that fall gracefully from the back of the bird, extending beyond the tail. These feathers are lost by the summer months. Male and female birds have similar plumage. Immature birds are all white but lack the long plumes, and their legs and bills are duller in appearance than those of the adult birds. In flight, Great egrets are recognizable by broad white wings and their slow, sweeping flight. Their long necks are tucked in as they fly with their legs trailing behind.

Life History and Behavior

Great egrets often flock with other wading birds and are the largest white-colored herons found in this region. They can be seen before dusk as they gather to roost for the night. They nest in colonies, sometimes with other species of wading birds on islands in Narragansett Bay. Nests are constructed in trees and shrubs from 10 to 30 feet above the ground. Nesting materials consist of sticks and twigs, sometimes lined with leaves or other finer vegetation.

Great egrets forage on tidal flats and in salt marshes at low tide. They prefer open areas of the flats and marshes to stalk their prey in a slow, methodical way. Their diets include fish, insects, amphibians, and small birds.

The Rhode Island Natural Heritage Program currently lists the great egret as a species of special concern in the state.

Great egrets are seen nesting in Rhode Island salt marshes. Courtesy: E. Marks, Audubon Society of Rhode Island

Special Notes

• In the early 1900s, hunting significantly reduced the great egret population. The long white plumes of great egrets and snowy egrets were quite valuable in the millinery trade, as it was fashionable to adorn ladies hats with the large feathers. In 1903, plume hunters were getting $32 an ounce for the ornate plumes. After the Migratory Bird Treaty Act passed in 1918, the population recovered and expanded its range.
• Currently, pesticides and the loss of nesting habitat by human development and encroaching populations of double-crested cormorants threaten these birds.
• In 1997, 208 nests were counted at three island locations in Narragansett Bay.

Adapted from The Uncommon Guide to Common Life on Narragansett Bay. Save The Bay, 1998.