Snowy Egret: how to recognise it
A bird seen on most continents. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Greg Lasley · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Egretta thula
- Family
- Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns
- Size
- About 60 cm
- Habitat
- Marshes, mudflats and shallow lagoons
- Found in
- Europe, Africa, North America and South America
The key marks
A small, all-white egret with a thin black bill, black legs and bright yellow feet. A white young Little Blue Heron has a bluish bill with a dark tip and greenish legs.
Voice
Harsh, raspy croaks.
Good to know
It stirs the water with its yellow feet to flush prey, and was nearly hunted out for its plumes in the late 1800s.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Little Blue Heron. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in marshes, mudflats and shallow lagoons. It is especially common in California, Mexico, Florida and Brazil. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.