White or buff herons with long legs that grow fine, milky-white plumes in the breeding season. There is no clear line between egrets and herons. They live on every continent, in fresh and salt-water marshes.
Quick answers
What is it?Bird
Carnivore?Yes
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inWorldwide
HabitatWetland, Coast
ColoursWhite
SizeMedium
Length80–104 cm (great egret)
Weight700–1,500 g (great egret)
Legs2
Covered inFeathers
Lives incolonies
Lives for15–20 years
Can fly
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Every continent, avoiding the coldest regions, deserts and high mountains.
Did you know
Plume hunting for fashionable hats once endangered several egret species.
The word egret comes from the French aigrette, meaning both "silver heron" and "brush".
Great egrets nest in colonies in trees close to water.
Often confused with
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