Three snowy egrets foraging in shallow waters. Courtesy: E. Marks, Audubon Society of Rhode Island

Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)

Field markings: 24 inches long, with a wingspan of 41 inches. Mostly "snowy" white; black bill and legs, bright yellow feet.
Habitat: Marshes, ponds, shallow coastline, tidal flats, and sometimes dry fields.
Seasonal appearance: Spring, summer, early fall.

Description

Snowy egrets are medium-sized, "snow-white" herons. Both sexes have similar plumage. Immature birds are white with yellow feet and yellowish green legs. In flight, snowy egrets fly faster than the larger great egrets and are much more maneuverable in the air. During the breeding season, adults are adorned with long, white, upturned plumes on the back, neck, and head; at this time, the area between the eye and the base of the bill, called the "lores," turns bright red, and their feet turn golden.

Life History and Behavior

During the day, snowy egrets can be found foraging in marshes, ponds, and shallow, coastal waters. They eat aquatic invertebrates, small vertebrates, fish, and insects. Unlike wading birds, such as great blue herons and great egrets, that stand and wait for their prey, snowy egrets hunt actively. Snowy egrets use their yellow feet as lures to attract fish. They move hurriedly about in the water, stirring up the bottom with their feet, catching their prey by making repeated stabs. Snowy egrets take advantage of feeding opportunities presented by other wading birds that herd fish into shallow waters. They hunt by hovering above the water and dropping down on their prey, or by running along the shallows.

At night, these birds gather with other wading birds to roost. Snowy egrets nest in mixed colonies with other wading birds on the islands of Narragansett Bay. They build their nests of sticks in trees or shrubs between 5 and 10 feet off the ground.

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

Special Notes

• In the late 1800s and early 1900s, snowy egrets were slaughtered in great numbers for their small, curved plumes. Their feathers were more highly valued than those of great egrets, and snowy egrets were more abundant than great egrets.
• Protection by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 has allowed this species to recover and expand its range to the point where it is now one of the more common wading birds in Rhode Island.
• The number of nests counted in Rhode Island declined between 1992 and 1997 from 228 to 181 nests.

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