Adult. Photo: Jesse Gordon/Audubon Photography Awards
Egretta thula
| Conservation status | Numbers were decimated in late 1800s by plume hunters. With protection, populations recovered. In recent decades, has expanded breeding range far north of historical limits. Probably still expanding range and increasing population. |
|---|---|
| Family | Herons, Egrets, Bitterns |
| Habitat | Marshes, swamps, ponds, shores. Widespread in many types of aquatic habitats, including fresh and salt water; in coastal areas, may seek sheltered bays. Inland, favors extensive marshes and other large wetlands. Sometimes forages in dry fields. Nests in colonies in trees, shrubs, mangroves, sometimes on or near the ground in marshes. |
Often forages actively, walking or running in shallow water, also standing still and waiting for prey to approach. May stir bottom sediments with feet to startle prey into motion. Sometimes hovers and then drops to water. Also may feed in open fields, sometimes following cattle to catch insects flushed by the animals.
3-5, sometimes 2-6. Pale blue-green. Incubation is by both sexes, 20-24 days. Young: Both parents feed young. Last young to hatch may starve. Young may clamber out of nest after 20-25 days, probably unable to fly before 30 days.
Both parents feed young. Last young to hatch may starve. Young may clamber out of nest after 20-25 days, probably unable to fly before 30 days.
Includes fish, insects, crustaceans. Diet is varied, includes fish, crabs, crayfish, frogs, snakes, insects, snails, worms, lizards, rodents.
Breeds in colonies, often or usually mixed with other species of wading birds. Male selects nest site and displays there to ward off rivals and attract a mate. Displays include pointing bill straight up, raising all plumes, and pumping head up and down while calling; variant of this sometimes given in short flight. Also flies in circles around nest site; flies high and then tumbles down. Nest: Site is in tree or shrub, usually 5-10' up, sometimes on ground or higher in tree. Nest (built by both sexes) is a platform of sticks.
Audubon’s scientists have used 140 million bird observations and sophisticated climate models to project how climate change will affect this bird’s range in the future.
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