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Great Egret
Ardea alba
Audubon Illustration
John James Audubon, Birds of America (1827-1838). Public domain.
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About the Great Egret
The great egret (Ardea alba), also known as the common egret, large egret, great white egret, or great white heron, is a large, widely distributed egret. The four subspecies are found in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and southern Europe. Recently, it has also been spreading to more northern areas of Europe. Distributed across most of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world, it builds tree nests in colonies close to water.
Source: Wikipedia
Classification
- Scientific name
- Ardea alba
- Family
- Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns
- Order
- Pelecaniformes
Similar species
Other members of the herons, egrets, and bitterns family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.
- Agami Heron Agamia agami
- American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus
- Bare-throated Tiger-Heron Tigrisoma mexicanum
- Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
- Boat-billed Heron Cochlearius cochlearius
- Chinese Egret Egretta eulophotes
- Chinese Pond-Heron Ardeola bacchus
- Eastern Cattle-Egret Ardea coromanda
- Eurasian Bittern Botaurus stellaris
- Gray Heron Ardea cinerea
- Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias
- Green Heron Butorides virescens
Know when the Great Egret turns up near you
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Optics
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Cameras
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