SOLD Great Egret

GREAT EGRET

Ardea alba/Egretta alba  White Gaulin.

A tall elegant bird, the Great Egret stands between 36” and 41” and is a larger version of the commonly seen Cattle Egret, entirely white with beautiful dorsal plumes when mating; long black legs and a yellow bill. The Great Egret lives in colonies in marine wetlands, always close to water, whether fresh or brackish, and has a life expectancy of some fifteen years. Their nests are often found at the tops of Mangroves, built by the monogamous males with sticks and twigs in the form of a tray three feet wide and twelve inches deep, before the females are allowed to contribute by lining it with soft plants, and finally laying in it 2 to 3 pale greeny-blue eggs.

They are most active at dawn and sunset, when they fish by wading in the shallows, or stand still and wait to catch frogs, snakes, insects, lizards, and even small mammals and birds.