Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus, 1766)

Adult Size

The adult little egret (Egretta garzetta) measures 55–65 cm (22–26 in) in length, has a wingspan of 88–106 cm (35–42 in), and weighs 350–550 g (12–19 oz).

Plumage Morphs

Its plumage is normally entirely white, though dark morphs exist with mostly bluish-grey plumage.

Breeding Nape Plumes

In the breeding season, adults grow two long, pointed, very narrow plumes around 150 mm (6 in) long on the nape that form a crest.

Breeding Breast Feathers

Similar feathers grow on the breast, but their barbs are more widely spaced.

Breeding Scapular Feathers

Several elongated scapular feathers with long loose barbs, which may reach 200 mm (8 in) in length, are also present.

Non-breeding Winter Plumage

In winter, the plumage is similar, but the scapular feathers are shorter and have a more typical appearance.

Bill and Lores Coloration

The little egret has a long slender bill; both the bill and lores are black.

Facial Skin and Iris

There is an area of bare greenish-grey skin at the base of the lower mandible and around the eye, which has a yellow iris.

Adult Leg and Foot Coloration

The legs are black and the feet are yellow.

Juvenile Appearance

Juveniles resemble non-breeding adults, but have greenish-black legs, duller yellow feet, and may have some greyish or brownish feathers.

E. g. nigripes Subspecies Traits

The subspecies E. g. nigripes differs by having yellow skin between the bill and eye, and blackish feet.

Courtship Color Changes

At the peak of courtship, the lores turn red, and the feet of yellow-footed races turn red.

Vocalization Contexts

Little egrets are mostly silent, but produce a range of croaking and bubbling calls at their breeding colonies and a harsh alarm call when disturbed.

Call Similarity to Other Herons

To human hearing, these sounds cannot be distinguished from those of the black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) and the western cattle egret (Ardea ibis), species that the little egret sometimes associates with.

E. g. garzetta Breeding Range

The breeding range of the western race E. g. garzetta covers southern Europe, the Middle East, most of Africa, and southern Asia.

E. g. garzetta Migration Patterns

Northern European populations are migratory, mostly traveling to Africa, though some stay in southern Europe; some Asian populations migrate to the Philippines.

Eastern Subspecies Ranges

The eastern race E. g. nigripes is non-migratory and lives in Indonesia and New Guinea, while E. g. immaculata lives in Australia and New Zealand, but does not breed in New Zealand.

20th Century Range Expansion

In the late 20th century, the little egret's range expanded northward in Europe and into the New World, where a breeding population was established on Barbados in 1994.

New World Range Spread

The species has since spread to other parts of the Caribbean and to the Atlantic coast of the United States.

South American Vagrancy Records

Little egrets have been recorded in South America, with most out-of-range records from Brazil and French Guiana, and there is also one recorded sighting from Colombia.

Inland Habitat Preferences

The little egret occupies a wide variety of habitats, including lake shores, rivers, canals, ponds, lagoons, marshes, and flooded land, and it prefers open locations over dense cover.

Coastal Habitat Preferences

On the coast, it lives in mangrove areas, swamps, mudflats, sandy beaches, and reefs.

Regional Important Habitats

Rice fields are an important habitat for the species in Italy, and coastal and mangrove areas are important habitats in Africa.

Association with Hoofed Mammals

Little egrets often move among cattle and other hoofed mammals.

Aquatic Feeding Behaviors

Little egrets use multiple methods to get food: they stalk prey in shallow water, often running with raised wings or shuffling their feet to disturb small fish, or may stand still and wait to ambush prey.

Opportunistic Feeding Associations

They take advantage of opportunities created by cormorants disturbing fish or humans attracting fish by throwing bread into water.

Terrestrial Feeding Behaviors

On land, they walk or run while chasing prey, feed on animals disturbed by grazing livestock and feed on ticks living on livestock, and even scavenge.

Diet Composition

Their diet is mostly made up of fish, but they also eat amphibians, small reptiles, mammals, birds, crustaceans, molluscs, insects, spiders, and worms.