Great Egret (Ardea alba) lives in freshwater wetlands across Tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
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A real field recording of the Great Egret, made in the wild.
Great egrets broke new ground in the UK when, on 22 May 2012, a pair nested at Shapwick Heath in Somerset, the first recorded British breeding. By 2017 seven nests in Somerset produced 17 fledglings and a second site at Norfolk added three more young, showing rapid colony growth. The northernmost success came in August 2024 when a pair raised three chicks at Scotland's Loch of Strathbeg, marking the first Scottish hatchlings and highlighting the species' expanding range into traditionally cold zones.
The great egret's menu reads like a wet-land buffet: fish, frogs, other amphibians, mice, snakes, crayfish, aquatic insects, grasshoppers and other insects. Studies found that, standing still, great egrets were able to ingest more prey of intermediate size than if they moved around, suggesting they hunt for quality over quantity.
Once hunted to near-extinction for their "aigrettes" in the late 1800s, great egrets rebounded after legal protection: the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 halted plume killings and populations surged north into southern Canada. Today they live about 15 years in the wild (22 years in captivity), showing that conservation can reverse a decline. Their recovery also illustrates how a single law can restore a species to become a common urban sight.
Standing up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) tall, the great egret can stretch 80-104 cm (31-41 in) long and span 131-170 cm (52-67 in) with its wings. Its body mass ranges from 700 to 1 500 g (25-53 oz), averaging about 1 000 g (35 oz).
Beyond wetlands, the great egret stamps its presence on money and logos: it appears on the reverse side of Brazil's 5-real banknote and serves as the emblem of the National Audubon Society.
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RangeTropical and warmer temperate regions of the world
HabitatFreshwater wetlands
DietFish and frogs
About the Great Egret
As the Great Egret wades through the shallows, its slender legs move with an ethereal elegance, as if gliding across the water rather than walking upon it. With feathers a dazzling white, like freshly fallen snow, this majestic bird surveys its domain with an air of quiet confidence, its piercing gaze scanning the depths for the slightest disturbance that might betray the presence of its prey. In flight, the Great Egret's wings beat with a slow, powerful rhythm, its long neck stretched out before it like a spectral arrow, cutting through the air with effortless grace.
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