Stats

Lifespan

10-22 yrs

Size

Large

Diet

Carnivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Colony

Biome

Freshwater wetland

Range

Worldwide

Movement

Flight

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Speed

Status

Common

About

The great egret is a statuesque all-white wading bird found on every continent except Antarctica, hunting fish with motionless patience before striking with a lightning-fast dagger bill. Its sweeping lacy breeding plumes—called aigrettes—were once so coveted by hat fashionistas that the species was nearly hunted to extinction, a crisis that directly inspired the founding of the Audubon Society.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg

   A clutch of eggs is incubated in the nest, kept warm by a brooding parent until the chicks pip free.
2. 2.
   hatchling

   A naked or downy hatchling is fed in the nest by its parents.
3. 3.
   juvenile

   A feathered juvenile fledges from the nest and learns to fly and forage.
4. 4.
   adult

   Fully grown with adult plumage.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Aves

Order

Pelecaniformes

Family

Ardeidae

Genus

Ardea

Species

Ardea alba