Egrets ( ) are

heron Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 75 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genus ''Botaurus'' are referred to as bi ...

s, generally long-legged wading birds, that have white or buff plumage, developing fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from herons and have the same build.

Biology

Egrets hold a separate group with bitterns and herons within the 74 species found in the bird family Ardeidae. Many egrets are members of the

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

'' Egretta'' or '' Ardea'', which also contain other species named as herons rather than egrets. The distinction between a heron and an egret is rather vague, and depends more on appearance than biology. The word "egret" comes from the French word ''aigrette'' that means both "silver heron" and "brush", referring to the long, filamentous feathers that seem to cascade down an egret's back during the breeding season (also called "egrets"). Several of the egrets have been reclassified from one genus to another in recent years; the

great egret 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 are found in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and southern Europe. R ...

, for example, has been classified as a member of either ''Casmerodius'', ''Egretta'', or ''Ardea''. In the 19th and early part of the 20th centuries, some of the world's egret species were endangered by relentless plume hunting, since hat makers in Europe and the United States demanded large numbers of egret plumes, leading to breeding birds being killed in many places around the world. Several ''Egretta'' species, including the eastern reef egret, the reddish egret, and the

western reef egret The western reef heron (''Egretta gularis''), also called the western reef egret, is a medium-sized heron found in southern Europe, Africa and parts of Asia. It has a mainly coastal distribution and occurs in several plumage forms: a slaty-grey ...

, have two distinct colours, one of which is just white. The little blue heron has all-white juvenile plumage.

Species in taxonomic order

Great egret 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 are found in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and southern Europe. R ...

or great white egret, ''Ardea alba'' *

Great blue heron The great blue heron (''Ardea herodias'') is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America, as well as far northwestern South America, the Caribbea ...

, ''Ardea herodias'' * Intermediate egret, ''Mesophoyx intermedia'' * Western cattle egret, ''Ardea ibis'' * Little egret ''Egretta garzetta'' * Snowy egret, ''Egretta thula'' * Reddish egret, ''Egretta rufescens'' *

Slaty egret The slaty egret (''Egretta vinaceigula'') is a small, dark egret found in southern Africa. It is one of the species to which the ''Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds'' (AEWA) applies. It is classified as Vuln ...

, ''Egretta vinaceigula'' * Black egret, ''Egretta ardesiaca'' * Chinese egret, ''Egretta eulophotes'' * Eastern reef egret or Pacific reef heron, ''Egretta sacra'' * Western reef egret or Western reef heron, ''Egretta gularis'' * Eastern cattle egret, ''Ardea coromanda'' Egret At Malampuzha Garden

Habitat

Egrets inhabit all continents; although they typically avoid the coldest regions, arid deserts, and very high mountains. They hunt and live in both saltwater and freshwater marshes.

References

External links

*
Well written and illustrated Egret article ''Encyclopaedia Britannica''

{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103052623/https://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/i1960id.html , date=2017-01-03 —USGS+24r5 * * Bird common names