Field Guide
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Great White Egret
Ardea alba
Not yet photographed by the community
Heron-sized white egret; long yellow bill; increasingly common.
Species Profile
Amber List (recovery phase); formerly rare, now increasing in UK; protected under Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
- Lifespan
- 15–20 years in the wild; longest recorded UK individual was over 25 years old
- Size & Weight
- 85–104 cm tall, wingspan 130–170 cm; 700–1,500 g
- Habitat
- Shallow freshwater wetlands, reed beds, lakes, river valleys, and coastal marshes with standing water and tall vegetation for nesting.
- UK Distribution
- Rare breeder in southern England, primarily East Anglia and the south coast; increasingly seen on passage and as an over-wintering visitor since the 1990s, with small breeding populations now established.
- Diet
- Primarily fish, including pike, carp, and roach; also frogs, newts, small water voles, and occasionally crustaceans.
- Prey
- Fish (pike, carp, roach, perch), amphibians, small mammals, crustaceans
- Predators
- Fox, mink, and occasional predation of eggs and young by corvids; chicks vulnerable to disturbance and flooding.
- Mating Season
- March to June
- Breeding
- Clutch of 3–5 eggs; incubation period 24–26 days; single brood per year; nests in reed beds or trees in loose colonies.
- Behaviour
- Solitary or in small groups when feeding; highly vocal at breeding colonies with various croaks and bill-clattering displays. Hunts by slow, methodical stalking in shallow water with rapid strikes of its spear-like bill. Males perform elaborate displays including neck stretching and plume ruffling during courtship.
- •The Great White Egret has expanded its range northward across Europe in recent decades, likely driven by climate change and habitat creation.
- •Its breeding plumage features spectacular long, wispy back plumes called 'aigrettes' that were historically hunted for the hat-making industry.
- •Great White Egrets can stand motionless for extended periods while hunting, conserving energy while waiting for prey to approach.
- •The species was virtually absent from the UK in the mid-20th century but has recolonised from continental European populations, with the first confirmed UK breeding in 1989.
- •They build large stick nests high in reed beds or trees, sometimes creating impressive platforms over a metre wide that are reused and added to year after year.
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