Eastern great egret
Eastern great egret | |
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Breeding plumage in New Zealand | |
Non-breeding plumage in Tasmania | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Pelecaniformes |
Family: | Ardeidae |
Genus: | Ardea |
Species: | |
Subspecies: | A. a. modesta
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Trinomial name | |
Ardea alba modesta J.E. Gray, 1831
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Yellow: breeding, green: year-round, blue: nonbreeding | |
Synonyms | |
Ardea modesta |
The eastern great egret (Ardea alba modesta), a white
Taxonomy
This species was originally described as the "pure white heron of India", Ardea modesta, by Gray in 1831,[1] but was later generally considered a synonym of Ardea alba, by Ellman in 1861 through to the Peters checklist in 1979.[2][3] It was elevated to species status again by Sibley and Monroe in 1990,[4] and this was supported by a 2005 revision of the herons.[5] It is still sometimes considered a subspecies of the great egret Ardea alba.[6]
Description
Measuring 83–103 centimetres (33–41 in) in length and weighing 0.7–1.2 kilograms (1 lb 9 oz – 2 lb 10 oz), the eastern great egret is a large heron with all-white plumage. Its bill is black in the breeding season and yellow at other times,[7] and its long legs are red or black.[citation needed] The colours of the bare parts of the face change to green during the breeding season.[7] The breeding plumage is also marked by long neck plumes and a green facial area.[8] The eastern great egret can be distinguished from other white egrets and herons in Asia and Australia by its very long neck, one and a half times as long as its own body.[8]
Distribution and habitat
The eastern great egret has a wide distribution throughout Asia and Oceania, with breeding populations in
Behaviour
Feeding
The diet includes vertebrates such as
Breeding
The eastern great egret often breeds in colonies with other herons, egrets,
Status
The subspecies is protected in
Images
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Non-breeding plumage in Japan
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Extended neck of an egret
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In flight atPerth, Western Australia
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Non-breeding plumage in Thailand
References
- .
- ^ Ellman, J. B. (1861). "Brief Notes on the Birds of New Zealand". The Zoologist: A Monthly Journal of Natural History. 19: 7469.
- ^ Ardea alba modesta J.E. Gray; Payne 1979, in Peters Check-list Birds World 1 (2nd edition): 204.
- OCLC 23248877.
- OCLC 54913407.
- ISBN 978-1-877385-59-9.
- ^ a b Kōtuku, the white heron
- ^ a b c d "Ardea modesta - Eastern Great Egret". Species Profile and Threats Database. Canberra: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Commonwealth of Australia. February 12, 2010. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
- ^ "HeronConservation » Eastern Great Egret".
- ^ "Visitor impacts on freshwater avifauna in New Zealand" (PDF).
- ^ ISBN 0-646-42798-9.
- ISBN 1-876334-60-6.
- ^ "Nesting season looks promising for critically endangered kōtuku". RNZ. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
- ^ Andrea Graves (May–June 2017). "Kōtuku: The story of the bird on our $2 coin". New Zealand Geographic. No. 145. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
External links
- Seven Sharp profile of the kōtuku breeding colony, Westland, New Zealand 9 October 2023