The great egret is 3.1-3.4 feet (0.94-1.o m) tall with a wingspan of 4.3-4.8 feet (1.3-1.5 m).
Its feathers are entirely white. It has a long, sharp yellow bill and long, gray to black legs with non-webbed feet and very long toes.
When the great egret is in breeding plumage, it has long, lacy, and delicate plumes on its back that curl over its tail. Males and females look alike, but males are a little larger.
The great egret is also known as the American egret, the common egret, the large egret, the white egret, and the great white egret.
The great egret lives along salt and freshwater marshes, marshy ponds, and tidal flats.
The great egret feeds alone in shallow water. It stalks prey like frogs, crayfish, snakes, snails, and fish. When it spots its prey, it pulls its head and long neck back and then quickly stabs at the prey.
On land, it sometimes stalks small mammals like moles and mice. The great egret usually feeds in the early morning and evening hours.
The male great egret chooses the nesting site and builds a nest platform of sticks and twigs in a tree or bush before he selects a mate. Occasionally, the great egret builds its nest on dry ground near a marsh.
The female great egret lays 3-5 pale green-blue eggs. The eggs take about three to four weeks to incubate. Both parents incubate the eggs and feed the chicks.
The chicks fledge in about six weeks. If the nest is on the ground, the chicks walk around the nest before they fledge. Both the male and the female aggressively defend the nesting territory. Great egrets nest in colonies, often with herons and ibis.
The great egret has a lifespan of around 15 years in the wild.
The great egret is territorial and can be very aggressive when it feels threatened or when it thinks its territory is being invaded. It will warn the invader away with a harsh call or even jab at it with its sharp bill.
In the early 20th century, the long feathers of the great egret were used on ladies’ hats, and the great egret was almost hunted into extinction.
Millions of North American birds were killed for their feathers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Hunters would kill birds and take their feathers and often leave young chicks alone to fend for themselves.
Entire populations of terns, herons, and egrets were killed for their feathers all along the Atlantic Coast.
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The great egret does not breed in New Hampshire, but is is sometimes seen in the state during migration.
The great egret’s breeding range on the Pacific coast stretches from Oregon to western Mexico.
In the central United States, the great egret is found from Minnesota south to the Mississippi Valley and along the Gulf Coast.
On the Atlantic coast, it is found from southern New England to Florida.
On the Pacific coast, the great egret winters from Oregon to Mexico.
The great egret is also found in Central and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Oceania.
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