ID Keys: White plumage, dark legs with yellow feet, long breast
plumes, dark grey lores and black bill
The
Little Egret is the Old World counterpart to North America's
Snowy Egret. Both are very similar in appearance, but the best
differentiation mark (other than geographic range) are the dark lores on
Little Egrets, compared to yellow lores on Snowy Egrets. The Little Egret is
one of the more widely distributed birds on the planet, with populations in
Europe, Asia, north Africa, and Australia. The Little Egret was only
recorded once in North America prior to 1980. However, since then,
there have been a number of sightings, with most occurring along the
coastline of the northeastern United States. They have also been
identified a number of times in the eastern Caribbean, and have started to
actively breed in the Bahamas.
Habitat
Found in and around a variety of aquatic
habitats. They will use both freshwater and saltwater habitats, including
mangrove swamps, freshwater marshes, estuaries, and shores of rivers and
lakes.
Diet
Feeds on a variety of items, including fish,
amphibians, crustaceans, mollusks, insects and insect larvae, and other
invertebrates. They also will on occasion eat small reptiles or
mammals.
Behavior
Foraging techniques are varied, but
includes wading slowly in the shallows and thrusting their neck and bill out
to capture prey. They also will more actively wade, stirring up the
bottom sediment and flushing fish, crustaceans, or other prey items.
Little Egrets will also sometimes simply stand motionless and wait for prey
to approach before striking.
Nesting
Colonial nesters, the nest of a Little
Egret is a shallow platform of sticks. It may be placed in a tree, in
dense shrubbery, or on the ground. The female lays 3 to 5 eggs, and
both parents help to incubate them. When the eggs hatch, both parents
help feed and tend to the young. The young may leave the nest after
about 3 or 4 weeks, but typically stay in care of the parents for another
couple of weeks.
Song
Has a raspy croaking call, and a hoarse
chuffing call given in flight. They are usually fairly quiet away from
their nesting grounds, however.
Migration
Over their broad geographic range in
the Old World, many Little Egrets are migratory, moving to warmer climates
for the winter. However, in more temperate and tropical climates, they
may be semi-permanent residents.
