Great Egret

Ardea alba Linnaeus, 1758

90 cmLength144 cmWingspan871 gWeight

It is a large, snow-white heron with a yellow bill and black legs, flying with its neck retracted.

Busiest months: April–May · Most records: United States, China, Australia

Looks like Medium Egret

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

White overall
Yellow bill and black legs and feet in the non-breeding season
Long gape extending well behind the eye
Ornamental plumes on the back in the breeding season; bill may turn black

Male, female and young

The sexes look alike; juveniles resemble adults in the non-breeding season.

Voice

Usually quiet, giving a single low, harsh croak when alarmed; often gives a loud “cuk cuk cuk” in breeding colonies.

Similar species

Medium Egret

The gape of Great Egret extends well behind the eye, while that of Medium Egret extends only slightly behind it.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: April–May · Most records: United States, China, Australia

Great Egret has been recorded at 6,133 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 205 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Parker River NWRUnited States26,058 records
Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water RanchUnited States23,000 records
Estero Llano Grande SP WBCUnited States21,384 records

More places

Magee Marsh – BoardwalkUnited States20,516 records
Edwin B. Forsythe NWRUnited States20,480 records
Fort De Soto ParkUnited States19,232 records
Cape Island – South Cape May MeadowsUnited States18,023 records
Bombay Hook National Wildlife RefugeUnited States17,683 records
John Heinz NWR – impoundmentUnited States16,187 records
Merritt Island NWR – Black Point Wildlife DriveUnited States15,737 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United States China Australia Canada India Mexico Costa Rica Argentina

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The great egret (Ardea alba), also known as the common egret, large egret, great white egret, or great white heron, is a large, widely distributed egret. The four subspecies occur in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and southern Europe. Recently, it has also been spreading to more northern areas of Europe.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Great Egret?

The Great Egret is about 90 cm long, with a wingspan of 144 cm and weighs around 871 g.

Where does the Great Egret live?

Its breeding range: North America, South America, Africa, Palearctic, Oriental, Australasia: worldwide. It is most often recorded in United States, China and Australia.