The Snowy Egret

The Snowy Egret is a small, all-white heron measuring 20 to 27 inches in height. They have a slim black bill and long black legs with yellow feet. It has a patch of skin above the upper bill that is yellow, but turns red during breeding season. Its plumage changes during breeding season as well. Rather than the smooth sleek plumage, it sports long lacy plumes on its head and back. The juveniles are similar in appearance, but they have a green or yellow line running down the back of their legs.

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The Snowy Egret can be found in some inland areas, but prefers the coastland marshes. It can be found along the Atlantic, pacific, and Gulf coast. The northern birds will migrate southward but the birds residing in temperate climates remain in their breeding habitat year-round. They are routinely spotted in salt marshes, swamps, ponds, tidal flats, and coastal bays.

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The Snowy Egret nests in large colonies with other waders. The male selects the breeding area, but they both build the nest. It's a team effort with the male collecting the materials and the female constructing it. The nest is usually located in pile of twigs on the ground, in a bush or in a tall tree. The norm is a bush or tree about 5 feet off the ground. The female lays 3 to 4 bluish-green eggs and are incubated by both adults. The eggs hatch three weeks later. Both parents care for the young feeding them with regurgitated food. The young start branching (hopping out onto branches close to the nest) around 20 to 25 days, and leave the nest a few days later.

The Snowy Egret has two distinct sounds, a low croak and a bubbly walla-walla-walla.

Snowy Egrets eat fish, crustaceans, frogs, and insects. They have several different hunting techniques. They will stalk their prey in shallow water, running or shuffling their feet to flush their prey into view, or they can fly low over the water and dip down to grab its prey. Another alternative is to stand still and wait for the fish to swim into range.

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