Great Egret
Ardea alba
Image by ‘Googie Man’ on Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Physical: Great Egrets grow up to 104 cm in length. Their wingspan can be up to 119 cm. They are entirely white with yellow bills and black legs.
Habitat: C. alba prefers fresh and salt marshes, marshy ponds, and tidal flats. In the winter, they migrate to Oregon, and south through Texas and the Gulf States to Mexico.
Feeding: Great Egrets eat fish, frogs, snakes, and crayfish. They are excellent fishers, and stand motionless in the water until they spot their prey.
Breeding: C. alba lay 3 to 5 pale blue-green eggs. Nests are of reeds and sticks, and are elevated. Males and females have black plumes during the breeding season. They breed from Mexico north to southern New England.
