Snowy egret

Adult snowy egrets are entirely white apart from the yellow lores between the long black bill and the eye, black legs, and bright yellow feet. The nape and neck bear long, shaggy plumes known as aigrettes.[6] Immature snowy egrets have duller, greenish legs.

Measurements:[7]

• Length: 22.1-26.0 in (56-66 cm)
• Weight: 13.1 oz (370 g)
• Wingspan: 39.4 in (100 cm)

The snowy egret is native to North, Central and South America. It is present all year round in South America, ranging as far south as Chile and Argentina. It also occurs throughout the year in the West Indies, Florida and coastal regions of North and Central America. Elsewhere, in the southern part of the United States, it is migratory, breeding in California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. It is found in wetlands of many types; marshes, riverbanks, lakesides, pools, salt marshes and estuaries. It is not found at high altitudes nor generally on the coast.[6] The snowy egret has occurred as a vagrant in Europe, in Iceland, Scotland and the Azores.[8]

The birds eat fish, crustaceans, insects, small reptiles, snails, frogs, worms and crayfish. They stalk prey in shallow water, often running or shuffling their feet, flushing prey into view by swaying their heads, flicking their wings or vibrating their bills. They may also hover, or "dip-fish" by flying with their feet just above the water surface. Snowy egrets may also stand still and wait to ambush prey, or hunt for insects stirred up by domestic animals in open fields. They sometimes forage in mixed species groups.[5]

Snowy egrets breed in mixed colonies, which may include great egrets, night herons, tricolored herons, little blue herons, cattle egrets, glossy ibises and roseate spoonbills. The male establishes a territory and starts building the nest in a tree, vines or thick undergrowth. He then attracts a mate with an elaborate courtship display which includes dipping up and down, bill raising, aerial displays, diving, tumbling and calling. The immediate vicinity of the nest is defended from other birds and the female finishes the construction of the nest with materials brought by the male. It is constructed from twigs, rushes, sedges, grasses, Spanish moss and similar materials and may be 15 in (38 cm) across. Up to six pale bluish-green eggs are laid which hatch after about 24 days. The young are altricial and covered with white down when first hatched. They leave the nest after about 22 days.[5]

Fossils of the snowy egret have been reported from the Talara tar seeps of Peru and in Bradenton in Manatee County and Haile XIB in Alachua County in Florida, United States.[2] The deposits were dated to the Late Pleistocene.[9][10][11][12]

In the early twentieth century, the snowy egret was hunted extensively for their long breeding plumes that fashionable ladies wore on their hats. This trade was ended in 1910 in North America but continued for some time in Central and South America. Since then populations have recovered.[5] The bird has a very wide range and the total population is large. No particular threats have been recognised and the population trend seems to be upwards, so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".[1]

• 
  Head shot
• 
  Plumage displayed
• 
  Full breeding plumage
• 
  With chicks
• 
  Tayrona national park, Colombia
• 
  In flight
• 
  In flight
• 
  On the hunt, Daytona Beach, Florida, United States
• 
  Ponce Inlet Beach, Florida, United States.
• 
  A snowy egret and its hatchlings in St. Augustine, FL.
• 
  Snowy egret chicks in St. Augustine, FL

• Stiles and Skutch, A guide to the birds of Costa Rica ISBN 0-8014-9600-4
• National Geographic, Field Guide to the Birds of North America ISBN 0-7922-6877-6

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Egretta thula.

Wikispecies has information related to Egretta thula.

Look up snowy egret in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Snowy Egret – Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• Snowy egret Egretta thula - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
• "Snowy egret media". Internet Bird Collection.
• Snowy egret photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)
• Snowy egret species account at Neotropical Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)