# Snowy Egret

*Egretta thula*

Snowy Egrets use their bright yellow feet to wiggle in the mud, 'dancing' to startle prey into the open.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Pelecaniformes › Ardeidae › Egretta
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** increasing
- **Biome:** wetland
- **Habitat:** Salt marshes, tidal flats, freshwater swamps, and shallow coastal ponds.
- **Diet:** Small fish, crustaceans, aquatic insects, frogs, and worms.
- **Range:** North America, Central America, South America, Caribbean
- **Size:** Length: 55-65 cm; Wingspan: 100 cm; Weight: 370 g.
- **Lifespan:** 17 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Wetland degradation, water pollution, and human disturbance at nesting colonies.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless and shy. Maintain a distance of at least 50 feet to avoid causing stress or flushing. If you find an injured bird, do not handle it; contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

## About

The snowy egret ( Egretta thula ) is a small white heron. The genus name comes from the Provençal French for the little egret aigrette , a diminutive of aigron , "heron". The species name thula is the Araucano for the Black-necked Swan, applied to this species in error by Chilean naturalist Juan Ignacio Molina in 1782.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/100888b0-4dae-4ec3-9e0a-1d103974faa7
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/4940
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egretta thula
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/330856993/medium.jpeg (Bill Levine, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.