Great egret
Great egret | |
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Adult in breeding plumage in Cape May County, New Jersey | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Pelecaniformes |
Family: | Ardeidae |
Genus: | Ardea |
Species: | A. alba
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Binomial name | |
Ardea alba | |
Range of A. alba (excluding A. a. modesta) Breeding range Year-round range Wintering range
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Synonyms | |
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The great egret (Ardea alba), also known as the common egret, large egret, or (in the
Taxonomy
The great egret was
Like all egrets, it is a member of the heron
The Old World population is often referred to as the "great white egret". This species is sometimes confused with the great white heron of the Caribbean, which is a white morph of the closely related great blue heron.
Subspecies
Four subspecies are found in various parts of the world, which differ but little.[9] Differences among them include bare-part coloration in the breeding season and size. The smallest subspecies, A. a. modesta, is from Asia and Australasia and some taxonomists consider it to be a full species, the eastern great egret (Ardea modesta), but most scientists treat it as a subspecies.[9]
- A. a. alba Palearctic.
- A. a. egretta Gmelin, JF, 1789 – found in the Americas
- A. a. melanorhynchos Wagler, 1827 – found in Africa
- A. a. modesta Gray, JE, 1831 – eastern great egret, found in India, Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania
Description
The great egret is a large heron with all-white
Its flight is slow with its neck retracted. This is characteristic of herons and bitterns, and distinguishes them from storks, cranes, ibises, and spoonbills, which extend their necks in flight. The great egret walks with its neck extended and wings held close. The great egret is not normally a vocal bird; it gives a low, hoarse croak when disturbed, and at breeding colonies, it often gives a loud croaking cuk cuk cuk and higher-pitched squawks.[13]
Owing to its wide distribution across so much of the Americas, as well as Africa, Europe and Asia, the great egret shares its habitat with many other similar species. For example, the
Distribution and habitat
The great egret is generally a very successful species with a large and expanding range, occurring worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. It is ubiquitous across the Sun Belt of the United States and in the Neotropics.[1]
Conservation
In North America, large numbers of great egrets were killed around the end of the 19th century so that their plumes, known as "aigrettes", could be used to decorate hats.[15][16] Numbers have since recovered as a result of conservation measures. Its range has expanded as far north as southern Canada. However, in some parts of the southern United States, its numbers have declined due to habitat loss, particularly wetland degradation through drainage, grazing, clearing, burning, increased salinity, groundwater extraction and invasion by exotic plants. Nevertheless, the species adapts well to human habitation and can be readily seen near wetlands and bodies of water in urban and suburban areas.[1]
The great egret is partially
In 1953, the great egret in flight was chosen as the symbol of the
On 22 May 2012, a pair of great egrets was observed nesting in the UK for the first time at the Shapwick Heath nature reserve in Somerset.[19] The species was a rare visitor to the UK and Ben Aviss of the BBC stated that the news could mean the UK's first great egret colony had become established.[19][20] The following week, Kevin Anderson of Natural England confirmed a great egret chick had hatched, making it a new breeding bird record for the UK.[21] In 2017, seven nests in Somerset fledged 17 young,[22] and a second breeding site was announced at Holkham National Nature Reserve in Norfolk where a pair fledged three young.[23] In January 2021, Bird Guides, a UK website and magazine which reports sightings of rare birds, dropped the species from its list of nationally rare birds because sightings had become so numerous.[24]
A similar move northwards has been observed in the Nordic countries where historically it was only a rare visitor. The first confirmed breeding in Sweden was 2012 and in Denmark was 2014. Both countries now have small colonies.[25][26] In 2018, a pair of great egrets nested in Finland for the first time, raising four young in a grey heron colony in Porvoo.[27]
Ecology
The species breeds in colonies in trees close to large lakes with reed beds or other extensive wetlands, preferably at height of 10–40 feet (3.0–12.2 m).[13] It begins to breed at 2–3 years of age by forming monogamous pairs each season. Whether the pairing carries over to the next season is not known. The male selects the nest area, starts a nest, and then attracts a female. The nest, made of sticks and lined with plant material, could be up to 3 feet across. Up to six bluish green eggs are laid at one time. Both sexes incubate the eggs, and the incubation period is 23–26 days. The young are fed by regurgitation by both parents and are able to fly within 6–7 weeks.[28]
Diet
The great egret forages in shallow water or in drier habitats, feeding mainly on fish, frogs, other amphibians,[29] small mammals (such as mice),[30] and occasionally small reptiles (such as snakes),[30] crustaceans (such as crayfish)[31] and insects (such as crickets and grasshoppers).[30] This species normally impales its prey with its long, sharp bill by standing still and allowing the prey to come within the striking distance of its bill, which it uses as a spear. It often waits motionless for prey or slowly stalks its victim.
Parasites
A long-running field study (1962–2013) suggested that the great egrets of central Europe host 17 different helminth species. Juvenile great egrets were shown to host fewer species, but the intensity of infection was higher in the juveniles than in the adults. Of the digeneans found in central European great egrets, numerous species likely infected their definitive hosts outside of central Europe itself.[32]
In culture
The great egret is depicted on the reverse side of a 5-Brazilian reais banknote.[33]
The great egret is the symbol of the
An airbrushed photograph of a great egret in breeding plumage by Werner Krutein is featured in the cover art of the 1992 Faith No More album Angel Dust.[35]
In Belarus, a commemorative coin has the image of a great egret.[36] The great egret also features on the New Zealand $2 coin and on the Hungarian 5-forint coin.[37]
See also
- Little egret
- Intermediate egret
References
- ^ . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "Great White Egret Facts | Ardea alba". The RSPB.
- History of British Birds. Newcastle: Edward Walker. p. 52.
- ISBN 0753709562.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - ISBN 0195637313.
- ^ Linnaeus, Carl (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1 (10th ed.). Holmiae (Stockholm): Laurentii Salvii. p. 144.
- ^ Mayr, Ernst; Cottrell, G. William, eds. (1979). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 203.
- ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ^ a b Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (December 2023). "Ibis, spoonbills, herons, Hamerkop, Shoebill, pelicans". IOC World Bird List Version 14.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ "Great Egret". All About Birds. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ^ "Animal Bytes – Egrets". Seaworld. Archived from the original on 21 June 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-8493-4258-5.
- ^ a b "Great Egret". Audubon Guide to North American Birds. July 10, 2016.
- ^ "Similar Species for Great Egret". All About Birds. Ithaca, New York: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- ^ Souder, William. "How Two Women Ended the Deadly Feather Trade". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
- ^ "Aigrette definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary". www.collinsdictionary.com.
- National Audubon Society. Archived from the originalon 2 January 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
- ^ "Historical Highlights: Signature Species". National Audubon Society. Archived from the original on 30 March 2009. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
- ^ a b Aviss, Ben (22 May 2012). "Great white egrets nest in UK for first time". BBC Nature. BBC. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
- ^ Aviss, Ben (31 May 2012). "Great white egrets breed in UK for first time". BBC Nature. BBC. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
- ^ Hallett, Emma (31 May 2012). "Rare great white egret chick hatches in UK for first time". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
- ^ Adrian Pitches (2017). "England's Mediterranean Breeding Season". British Birds. 110 (9): 430.
- ^ "Great White Egret breeds successfully in Norfolk for the first time". Rare Bird Alert. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- ^ "Great white egret no longer rare bird as numbers boom across UK and Europe". The Independent. January 4, 2021.
- ^ "Første danske koloni af den sjældne sølvhejre opdaget". Dansk Ornitologisk Forening. 1 June 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
- ISSN 2002-8717.
- ^ "Jalohaikara pesi ensimmäistä kertaa Suomessa – Porvoossa haudotut poikaset lennähtivät maailmalle". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 7 August 2018. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
- ^ "Great Egret". All about birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ "Ardea alba (Great Egret_" (PDF). The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago. University of the West Indies. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
- ^ a b c "Ardea alba (Great egret)". Animal Diversity Web.
- ^ Jones, J. (2002). "Ardea alba: great egret". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- PMID 25449288.
- ^ "Current Banknotes - Banco Central do Brasil". www.bcb.gov.br. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
- ^ "Great Egret (Ardea alba)". National Geographic Society. 10 June 2011. Archived from the original on January 29, 2010. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
- ^ Putterford, Mark (December 1992). "Faith No More - Dusted". Rip.
- ^ "1 Rouble, Belarus". en.numista.com. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
- ^ "5 Forint". Numista. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
External links
- Citizen science observations for Great egret at iNaturalist
- Ageing and sexing (PDF) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze
- Great White Heron – The Atlas of Southern African Birds
- Great White Egret – National Park Neusiedlersee Seewinkel in Austria
- Great Egret – Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Great egret Ardea alba – USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Ardea alba in Field Guide: Birds of the World on Flickr
- "Ardea alba". Avibase.
- "Great White Egret media". Internet Bird Collection.
- Great Egret photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)