White herons are conspicuous and quite confiding, and beginners find it fun to distinguish between Snowy, Great, and Cattle egrets. Birds at our Zoo. Sizable wading birds with long legs and long necks, their differences go further than just skin -- or feather -- deep. Note there are also white morphs of the Reddish Egret and the Great Blue Heron. An egret is really a type of heron, usually white and with fine plumes that develop during breeding season. And adult little blue heron in Pascagoula, Mississippi Most egrets belong to either the Egretta or the Ardea genus. Herons and egrets tend to be statuesque birds, with long legs for wading into deeper water in search of prey. The Great Egret is a large bird, 101 cm long and weighing 950 g. It is only slightly smaller than the Great Blue or Grey Herons. Twice the size of Snowy Egret. While Little Egret is now relatively common, it can sometimes be confused at distance with a much rarer visitor - Great White Egret. NOTE: Identification tips on this page are primarily for mature birds in breeding plumage (for the three egret species), and for the juvenile Little Blue Heron. They may eventually enjoy the challenge of ageing these birds, and distinguishing them from white-morph Reddish Egrets and immature Little Blue Herons. Egrets eat frogs. Note yellowish beak and legs. Bitterns, herons and egrets are closely related birds of wetlands and rivers. Some may become confused with the egrets and herons when they first see these birds but they have some differences that you ought to know. However, the Reddish Egret is not found in South Dakota, and the white morph of the Great Blue Heron is generally restricted to Florida. Little Blue Heron. The egret is known to be smaller as compared to the heron. There is a dramatic difference in appearance between the adult and juvenile little blue heron. Our waterfowl collection is one of the largest of any zoo in North America. Egrets come with black legs while the heron will have lighter-colored legs. Among the most confused birds are Heron and Crane whose similar appearance makes it difficult to differentiate between them. Well, there is, but it’s only in appearance, not biology. An egret is a type of heron, a bird of the Ardeidae family. 25 years ago the sighting of any White Heron in the UK would have been greeted with excitement. The Saint Louis Zoo is well-known for its diverse array of bird species. I’m going to let you in on a little secret: there isn’t really a difference between egrets and herons. The adult is blue to grey while the first year juvenile features a white plumage similar in look to the snow egret. Great Egret. Herons and egrets are not biologically distinct from each other; an egret is basically a heron with pretty breeding plumage pretty--pretty enough that they were hunted to near extinction in order to make feather hats in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Herons tend to have longer legs than bitterns which are more squat/Credit: Getty. What is the difference between a bittern, egret and a heron? Apart from size, it can be distinguished from other white egrets by … In addition to belonging to two different scientific families, they don't see eye-to-eye in terms of diet and social behaviors. This video also helps separate GW Egret from 'white' or leucistic Grey Herons. While there is no biological difference between egrets and other herons, egrets are typically white or buff, and many have distinctive plumage. At first glance cranes and herons may appear to be related. Another known difference is the color of their legs. Egrets vs. herons: what’s the difference? It has all white plumage. This article aims to direct human eyes to pin point those little differences and correctly recognize the bird in front of them so as to become an expert bird-watcher! 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