Great Egret

Great egrets are tall, entirely white wading birds with long yellow bills and dark gray legs. Adults stand about one metre high, measure slightly less than one metre from bill to tail, span roughly 1.5 metres across the wings, and weigh approximately 912–1,140 grams. Males average somewhat larger than females. During flight, the long neck is normally retracted into a characteristic S-shaped curve. The verified account describes their North American range from the Gulf Coast and Florida northward into southern Canada (Animal Diversity Web).

These egrets hunt fish, frogs, snakes, crayfish, mice, crickets, grasshoppers, aquatic insects, and other small animals. They typically wade slowly or stand motionless before striking rapidly, with stationary hunting sometimes yielding higher-quality prey. Breeding pairs are seasonally monogamous. Males select territories and perform courtship rituals before mating occurs within the chosen territory. Breeding begins around mid-April, and a typical annual clutch contains three to four eggs. Incubation lasts approximately 23–24 days (Animal Diversity Web).