Meadow & Feather

Birds › Lake and wetland › Great Egret

Great Egret

Ardea alba

Hunted almost to extinction in the 1800s for hat plumes. Protecting it helped start the bird conservation movement, and it is the symbol of the National Audubon Society.

Where to see it for real: Seen at wetlands, lakes and coastal marshes across much of the world.

Spot it in the game

Lives in the Lake and wetland habitat (North American lakes and marshes).

Great Egret, Ardea alba
Photo: Елена Смирнова, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist. Cut out from the original photo.

Great Egret facts

Family
Herons and egrets
Length
39 in (99 cm)
Wingspan
55 in (140 cm)
Weight
32 oz (900 g)
Diet
Fish and frogs, plus snakes, crayfish and insects.
Range
Warm wetlands on every continent except Antarctica.
Nest
A platform of sticks in a tree over water, in a colony.
Song
A low, croaking "cuk-cuk".
Active
by day
Status
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: widespread and not at risk.

What the Great Egret sounds like

Recording 1: Grégoire Chauvot, CC0, original on xeno-canto. Trimmed and cleaned of low background noise.
Recording 2: Sonothèque ADVL, CC0, original on xeno-canto. Trimmed and cleaned of low background noise.

More: bird songs and calls.

More birds of the lake and wetland

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Spot the Great Egret yourself

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