Great Egret

The Great Egret, or Eastern Great Egret, Ardea alba, is a large, all white heron. It can be up to 1m tall and have a wingspan of nearly 2m. In non-breeding plumage, the bill is yellow. When breeding, the bill turns black and long nuptial plumes develop on the back. Great Egrets fly with their neck retracted, and their feet extend well beyond their tail.

The Great Egret is a fairly cosmopolitan species. In Australia it is quite widespread, only avoiding the more arid regions. Inland and coastal wetlands, marshes, swamps, flooded paddocks, and shallow lakes and dams are its favourite habitats.

Small fish, frogs, crayfish and other aquatic animals, as well as a range of terrestrial insects, rodents and reptiles form its dietary requirements. The Great Egret generally breeds in colonies, sometimes alongside Ibis and Spoonbill, constructing their stick nests high in a tree near a water body.

During the 19^th century, the breeding plumes became a fashion accessory and the bird was hunted to near extinction in some countries.

For the bird nerds: the gape extends beyond the eye