Little Egret: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Herons, Egrets and Pelicans · day 4 of 7

Five facts

1. To scare up small fish, a little egret shuffles its feet in the shallows or dashes about with its wings raised.
2. It knows a good chance when it sees one: it hunts the fish stirred up by cormorants, or drawn in when people toss bread into the water.
3. In the western race, this white heron has black legs and bright yellow feet. At the peak of courtship, those yellow feet turn red.
4. Its fine plumes were once in huge demand for hats, and hunting made it rare. This helped spark the founding of Britain's RSPB in 1889.
5. The oldest little egret known in the wild lived to around 22.3 years.

The quiz

1. How does a little egret disturb small fish in shallow water?

• By shuffling its feet (correct)
• By singing loudly
• By dropping pebbles
• By splashing with its tail

It shuffles its feet or runs with raised wings to make fish move.

2. Which human habit can a little egret use to catch fish?

• Fishing boats' lights
• People throwing bread into water (correct)
• Swimmers splashing
• Water pumps

It takes advantage of fish drawn in when people throw bread into the water.

3. What colour do a western little egret's yellow feet turn during courtship?

• Blue
• White
• Black
• Red (correct)

When courting, the yellow feet of these egrets go red.

4. Why were little egrets once hunted?

• For their eggs
• Because they ate crops
• For their plumes, used on hats (correct)
• Because they were noisy

Their plumes were wanted for hats, and hunting made them dangerously rare.

5. About how long did the oldest known wild little egret live?

• About 3.5 years
• About 22.3 years (correct)
• About 60 years
• About 100 years

The record for a wild little egret is about 22.3 years.

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