Egret
|
? Egrets |
|||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Eastern Reef Egrets
|
|||||||||||
| Scientific classification | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
|
Genera
|
|||||||||||
|
An egret is any of several herons, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season. Many egrets are members of the genera Egretta or Ardea which 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.
Several of the egrets have been moved around from one genus to another in recent years: the Great Egret, for example, was traditionally classified as either a member of Casmoderius, Egretta or Ardea.
In the 19th and early part of the 20th century, some of the world's egret species were endangered by relentless hunting, since hat makers in Europe and the United States demanded massive numbers of egret plumes and breeding birds were killed in locations all around the world.
Several Egretta species, including the Eastern Reef Egret, the Reddish Egret and the Western Reef Egret have two distinct colour, one of which is entirely white. Little Blue Heron has an all-white juvenile plumage.
Species
- (many other members not regarded as egrets)
- Great Egret or Great White Egret, Ardea alba
- Intermediate Egret, Ardea intermedia
- Swinhoe's Egret, Ardea eulophotes
- Cattle Egret, Ardea ibis
- Little Egret Egretta garzetta
- Eastern Reef Egret, Egretta sacra
- Western Reef Egret, Egretta gularis
- Snowy Egret, Egretta thula
- Reddish Egret, Egretta rufescens
- Slaty Egret, Egretta vinaceigula
- Chinese Egret, Egretta eulophotes