Little Egret
Egretta garzetta
They use their bright yellow feet to wiggle in the mud, scaring prey into the open where they can be snatched up.
- Scientific name
- Egretta garzetta
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Pelecaniformes › Ardeidae › Egretta
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Freshwater marshes, estuaries, lagoons, and coastal mudflats.
- Diet
- Small fish, crustaceans, amphibians, and aquatic insects.
- Range
- Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia
- Size
- 55-65 cm tall, wingspan up to 106 cm
- Lifespan
- 7-9 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Wetland drainage, water pollution, and loss of nesting trees.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and shy. Observe from a distance of at least 20 meters to prevent flight and allow the bird to feed undisturbed. If accidentally pecked by the sharp beak, clean the wound thoroughly with soap and water and apply antiseptic.
The little egret ( Egretta garzetta ) is a species of small heron in the family Ardeidae. The genus name comes from the Provençal French Aigrette , "egret", a diminutive of Aigron ," heron". The species epithet garzetta is from the Italian name for this bird, garzetta or sgarzetta .
Photo: Bengt Nyman, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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