Great White Egret

About Great White Egrets

COMMON NAME: Great Egret

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Ardea alba

TYPE: Birds

DIET: Carnivore

AVERAGE LIFE SPAN IN THE WILD: 15 years

SIZE: Body: 37 to 41 inches; wingspan: 4.3 to 4.8 feet

WEIGHT: 2.2 pounds

Migration

Resident to medium-distance migrant. Most Great Egrets move south for winter, traveling as far as the West Indies or southern Central America. They migrate by day in small flocks. During mild years, Great Egrets may stay as far north as Massachusetts. Individuals from the southern U.S. may not migrate at all. In late summer and fall, Great Egrets range widely over the continent.

Breeding season

During the breeding season, long feathery plumes grow from its back, called aigrettes which they hold up during courtship displays.

Hunting

Great Egrets wade in shallow water (both fresh and salt) to hunt fish, frogs, and other small aquatic animals. They typically stand still and watch for unsuspecting prey to pass by. Then, with startling speed, the egrets strike with a jab of their long neck and bill.


As you can see in this video, the baby egret looks like it wants food and the parent is trying to feed it. And the parent looks like it is chewing the food for the baby before it eats it.