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EGRET
(EE-grit)
Any
of several usually white herons
Common clues: Plumed wader;
Marsh bird; Shore wader; Long-necked wading bird; Whiter heron;
Everglades wader; “Snowy” bird; Florida flyer;
Alligator's prey
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News: Egret
gives pelican a lesson
Video: Egret
tries to eat a snake
An
egret is any of several herons, most of which are white or buff,
and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding
season. Many egrets are members of the genera Egretta
or Ardea
which contain other species regarded as herons rather than
egrets. The distinction between a heron and an egret is rather
vague and depends more on appearance than biology.
Several
of the egrets have been moved around from one genus to another in
recent years: the Great Egret, for example, was traditionally
classified as a member of Egretta,
moved to Ardea,
and then moved back again. Common names are often a more reliable
guide to egret identification.
In
the 19th and early part of the 20th century, most of the world's
egret species were brought to the brink of extinction by
relentless hunting. Hat makers in Europe and the United States
demanded massive numbers of egret plumes and breeding birds were
massacred in locations all around the world.
The
Eastern Reef Egret of the Pacific Ocean shores (illustrated above
right) is unusual in that it has two distinct phases: Eastern
Reef Egrets are either entirely charcoal-grey or entirely white.
This
article is licensed under the GNU
Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia
article "Egret".
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