Herons · Pelicans and herons
Little Egret
Link copied.
Egretta garzetta
Link copied.
Voice
Call
Call
Call
How to recognize it
-
55–65 cm long, slender silhouette
-
All-white plumage, long slender black bill
-
In the western race, black legs with yellow feet
-
Neck tucked and legs extended in flight
About the species
Its plumage is white from head to tail, with a long, slender black bill and black legs; in western populations, the feet are yellow. A small patch of greenish-grey skin shows between the bill and eye. In the breeding season, adults grow long, fine feathers at the back of the head and across the chest.
It usually keeps quiet outside nesting colonies, but there it gives croaks and bubbling calls, switching to a harsh alarm call when disturbed. At feeding sites it may wait motionless for prey, then strike, or hurry through the shallows with wings raised and feet shuffling to flush small fish.
It hunts in open shallows along lakes, rivers, marshes and coastal lagoons, and may also forage on wet ground or near grazing livestock. Small fish make up much of its diet, alongside frogs, insects and crustaceans. Northern populations migrate south for winter, while those in warmer parts of its range often stay year-round.
Where to find
-
Along shallow canals and river backwaters, look for a Little Egret stalking small fish, then darting across the water with wings raised.
-
At an open, shallow lake or marsh, watch for a motionless figure by the water, waiting to ambush prey.
-
On pastures near settlements, watch it walk among grazing cattle, picking up insects disturbed by the herd and ticks from the animals.
-
From March to July in Europe and Central Asia, listen near reed beds or waterside trees for the croaking and bubbling calls of a nesting colony.
