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Great white egret

Great white egret ©Derek Moore

Great white egret

Scientific name: Ardea alba
As the name suggests, this tall, white heron is considerably larger than the similar little egret. Once a rare visitor to the UK, sightings have become more common over the last few decades, with several pairs now breeding.

Species information

Statistics

Length: 94cm
WIngspan: 155cm
Weight: 870g

Conservation status

Classified in the UK as Amber under the Birds of Conservation Concern 5: the Red List for Birds (2021). Protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981.

When to see

January to December

About

Compared to the now familiar little egret, the great white egret is enormous, almost as large as a grey heron. A few decades ago, records of great white egret were less than annual, but many now winter in the UK and a few pairs even nest here. Visiting birds can be found in all kinds of wetland habitats, even farmland ditches! They stand in shallow water, waiting for fish, insects and amphibians to approach, then spear them with their dagger-like bill.

How to identify

The great white egret is almost as large as a grey heron, but with longer legs and a longer neck. It has a large, dagger-like bill that is yellow for most of the year, but becomes mostly black in breeding birds. The upper legs are yellowish, sometimes turning reddish in breeding birds, and the lower legs and feet are black - unlike the yellow feet of the little egret.

In our area

Earlier in 2023, we were delighted to facilitate qualified bird ringers Alison Morgan and Bob Medland in ringing some of the great white egret chicks on Westhay Moor National Nature Reserve. Back in 2012, the Somerset Levels were home to the first breeding pair of great white egrets in the UK. Since then, their population has grown dramatically, and this year, there were an incredible forty-eight nests found across the Avalon Marshes, with four on our very own Westhay reserve. By ringing these birds, we will be in a better position to track their changing populations as they continue to spread across the UK. We are very grateful to both Alison and Bob for helping us create this short film explaining more about the process involved in ringing these chicks. 

Watch the film

Distribution

Great white egrets can appear in almost any part of the UK, though they are most frequently found in south-east England and East Anglia. The Somerset Levels were home to the UK’s first breeding pair of great white egrets in 2012.

Habitats

Did you know?

Like the little egret, great white egrets were once persecuted for the beautiful long-white plumes of their breeding plumage, which were often used in fashion. In the United States, they were almost wiped out completely during the late 1800s.

Watch

Great White Egret (https://vimeo.com/444887398)

Great White Egret by Tom Hibbert