Facts About the Great Egret, a Florida Bird

The Great Egret of Florida is a favorite of serious bird lovers. The Great Egret of Florida is one of the most beautiful of the large-water marsh birds. It has a graceful "s" curve to its neck, resembling a swan, yet has the long body of a large white heron, and long orange-yellow beak, which makes it an ideal hunter for amphibians and bait fish.

The Great Egret is found along marshy waters, or less often, in residential areas where there are lakes and ponds. In Florida, during the spring and summer months, they can be spotted in these locals. They are distinguishable by their "s" curved neck, all white body, dark legs, orange-yellow, pointy sharp beak, and a beautiful layer of plumage, wispy-type feathers on the surface of its back lower body. The Great Egret chicks look totally fuzzy, and have the sharp looking orange-yellow bill at birth. The baby egret's have been dubbed as "ugly" by some people, but many find them to be adorable creatures, that like the ugly duckling fairy tale, turn into beautiful Great Egrets, much respected and admired.

In the 1800s, these birds were hunted to almost near extinction by plume hunters, for they were a fine addition to a lady's hat. They made a comeback after being put on the endangered list, and are now a nationally protected bird.

These birds are the most elegant of the herons, for they have a distinct presence, and a graceful gate and flying style. This is due to the way their neck is held in the "s" shape, not forward, like other long-necked birds when flying. They have a beautiful presence when their wingspan is outstretched, and one can see the beauty of the feathers, and why these creatures were considered a prize catch. The plumes were worth almost as much as gator hides, if not more in the European market.

They nest high up in trees, usually in marshy areas, and often feed their young by waiting patiently for fish, holding themselves completely still, or slowly walking in pursuit of any form of small fish, amphibian or insect. In the residential districts, you can see them on the edge of the muddy embankments standing still, studying the water carefully.

I was fortunate enough to snap some photos of one right in front of my house, in the freshwater pond. They are not a shy bird, and this one seemed to enjoy "posing" for the camera! It was a pleasure to observe and study this bird, for they are migratory, and are not spotted year-round in my area of Florida, unlike some species.

Sources:

http://www.audubonofflorida.org/
http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i1960id.html
Meisel, Tony and Frank Appel. Edited Tales of Old Florida. Secaucus, New Jersey: Castle, 1987.
Tebeau, Charlton W. A History of Florida. Miami, Florida: University of Miami Press, 1971.