# 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.

- **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.

## About

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 .

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/4c28c29b-157e-4eac-acd5-292dbe18f64b
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/4943
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egretta garzetta
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/205293169/medium.jpg (Bengt Nyman, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

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