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| Wetlands & Waterfowl's Guide to North American Waterfowl: | |||
| Click to load: American Bittern American Widgeon Black- Crowned Night Heron Black Duck Blue-Winged Teal Canada Goose Canvasback Cattle Egret Common Egret Cinnamon Teal Gadwall Great Blue Heron Great Egret Green-Winged Teal Greater Scaup Lesser Scaup Mallard Mute Swan Northern Pintail Northern Shoveler Redhead Ring-Necked Snowy Egret Snow Goose Trumpeter Swan Wood Duck |
Snowy Egret Scroll down for details  Scientific Name: Egretta
thula Habitat: marshes, lakes, lagoons, wooded swamps and ponds. Appearance: 22-26" long. Small and white. Thin black bill; legs black; feet yellow. Has long plumes on back and head during nesting season. Immature: yellow feet and yellow stripe up back of legs. Food: Small fish, frogs, snakes. Nesting: Nest is a platform of sticks on ground or in bush or tree 5-30 feet above ground or water. Female lays 1-6 pale blue or greenish eggs and both male and female incubate eggs for 20-24 days. Young are downy, leave the nest 4 weeks after hatching. Usually nests in colonies. |
The Snowy Egret is an attractive bird whose
plumes were highly valued for the decoration of women's hats in the late 1800's and early
1900's. The plume trade took a great toll on Snowy Egret colonies, until the tide of
public opinion and style turned against using plumes for decoration. Snowy Egrets employ an interesting method when foraging for food; they use their feet. Stirring and probing, the Snowy Egret flushes out small fish and amphibians, and promptly spears them with its sharp bill. Additional Photographs: |
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