Saturday 9 November 2013

Little Egret

It is time for 'Saturday's post' and it is the turn of the "Little Egret". 
The Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) is a small white Heron. It is the Old World counterpart to the very similar New World Snowy Egret.
The adult Little Egret is 55–65 cm long with an 88–106 cm wingspan, and weighs 350–550 grams. Its plumage is all white.
 

The subspecies garzetta has long black legs with yellow feet and a slim black bill. In the breeding season, the adult has two long nape plumes and gauzy plumes on the back and breast, and the bare skin between the bill and eyes becomes red or blue. Juveniles are similar to non-breeding adults but have greenish-black legs and duller yellow feet. Has yellow feet and a bare patch of grey-green skin between the bill and eyes.


Breeding
Its breeding distribution is in wetlands in warm temperate to tropical parts of Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. In warmer locations, most birds are permanent residents; northern populations, including many European birds, migrate to Africa and southern Asia. They may also wander north in late summer after the breeding season, which may have assisted its current range expansion. Globally, the Little Egret is not listed as a threatened species
 
The Little Egret nests in colonies, often with other wading birds, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs or in a reedbed or bamboo grove.  In some locations such as the Cape Verde Islands, they nest on cliffs.  Pairs defend a small breeding territory, usually extending around 3–4 m from the nest.  The three to five eggs are incubated by both adults for 21–25 days to hatching.  They are oval in shape and have a pale, non-glossy, blue-green colour.  The young birds are covered in white down feathers, are cared for by both parents and fledge after 40 to 45 days

 

Feeding

Little Egrets eat fish, insects, amphibians, crustaceans, and reptiles. They stalk their prey in shallow water, often running with raised wings or shuffling its feet to disturb small fish. They may also stand still and wait to ambush prey.

 
 
Status in northwestern Europe

Historical research has shown that the Little Egret was once present, and probably common, in Great Britain, but became extinct there through a combination of over-hunting in the late medieval period and climate change at the start of the Little Ice Age. The inclusion of 1,000 egrets (among numerous other birds) in the banquet to celebrate the enthronement of George Neville as Archbishop of York at Cawood Castle in 1465 indicates the presence of a sizable population in northern England at the time, and they are also listed in the coronation feast of King Henry VI in 1429.  They had disappeared by the mid 16th century, when William Gowreley, 'yeoman purveyor to the Kinges mowthe', "had to send further south" for egrets.

 

Further declines occurred throughout Europe as the plumes of the Little Egret and other egrets were in demand for decorating hats. They had been used for this purpose since at least the 17th century but in the 19th century it became a major craze and the number of egret skins passing through dealers reached into the millions. Egret farms were set up where the birds could be plucked without being killed but most of the supply was obtained by hunting, which reduced the population of the species to dangerously low levels and stimulated the establishment of Britain's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in 1889.

By the 1950s, the Little Egret had become restricted to southern Europe, and conservation laws protecting the species were introduced. This allowed the population to rebounded strongly; over the next few decades it became increasingly common in western France and later on the north coast. It bred in the Netherlands in 1979 with further breeding from the 1990s onward.

 
 
In Britain it was a rare vagrant from its 16th century disappearance until the late twentieth century, and did not breed. It has however recently become a regular breeding species and is commonly present, often in large numbers, at favoured coastal sites.
The first recent breeding record in England was on Brownsea Island in Dorset in 1996, and the species bred in Wales for the first time in 2002. The population increase has been rapid subsequently, with over 750 pairs breeding in nearly 70 colonies in 2008, and a post-breeding total of 4,540 birds in September 2008.
In Ireland the species bred for the first time in 1997 at a site in County Cork and the population has also expanded rapidly since, breeding in most Irish counties and in Northern Ireland by 2010.

 
 
Status in Australia

In Australia, its status varies from state to state. It is listed as 'Threatened' on the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act (1988). Under this Act, an Action Statement for the recovery and future management of this species has been prepared. On the 2007 advisory list of threatened vertebrate fauna in Victoria, the Little Egret is listed as endangered.

 
The subspecies nigripes differs in having yellow skin between the bill and eye, and blackish feet.
 

Colonisation of the New World

The Little Egret has now started to colonise the New World. The first record there was on Barbados in April 1954. It began breeding on the island in 1994. Birds are seen with increasing regularity and have occurred from Suriname and Brazil in the south to Newfoundland and Quebec in the north. Birds on the east coast of North America are thought to have moved north with Snowy Egrets from the Caribbean. In June 2011, a little egret was spotted in Maine, in the Scarborough Marsh, near the Audubon Centre.

 
 I photographed this shot above on the Isle of Wight and it shows the difference in size of the Great Egret on the left to the rest of the Little Egrets.

The video contains the Little Egret that Eileen and I saw near Dundrum, the rest were taken on the i.O.W.  One at the seaside, the next one is at Hersey Nature Reserve.

You can access the video at

If there is a black space below, click it and the video will appear. 
 


I hope you enjoyed seeing and learning about the Little Egret.
My computer or blogger is playing up and sometimes I cannot get into all your blogsor respond to them so be patience with me please.
 
Thank you for visiting.

45 comments:

  1. they are a beautiful waterbird, sleek and slender. Lovely shots and location Margaret.

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    1. HI Carole Glad you enjoyed the Egrets adn thanks for comment.

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  2. I really enjoyed the post, and the video too. Especially that last shot with all of the Egrets flying by.

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    1. HI Mersad I am glad you enjoyed the images and video. Thanks for comment.

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  3. Margaret, great post on the Little Egret! They are beautiful birds. Thanks for sharing the video. Have a happy weekend!

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    1. HI Eileen Glad you enjoyed oth the images and the video. THanks for comment adn have a great weekend.

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  4. I loved seeing these birds while in Florida a few years ago. Loved the video.

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    1. HI Judy Glad you liked the video adn photos of th Egret. Thanks fo comment and have a great wweekend

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  5. I have never seen a Little Egret or Snowy Egret (although Snowy Egrets do sometimes meander close to here). I shall look forward to seeing them as they move westward. ;)

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    1. HI EG I do hope to see one soon as they are a lovely bird. Thanksfor comment adn have a great weekend.

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  6. Wonderfully informative post and the egret photos are excellent! ~ Lots of creativity here ~ Happy Weekend, carol, xxx

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    1. HI Carole I am so glad you ot only enjoyed the images but the information on the Egrets. thanks for comment and have a great weekend.

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  7. Beautiful birds ... I love our Snowy Egrets and these are much the same only smaller which I didn't realize until I saw them next to the Great Egret. What a nice, informative study of the Little Egret, Margaret. I'm very impressed with your pictures and your knowledge.

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    1. HI Andrea High praise indeed. I am very glad you enjjoyed bboth the images and the information. thanks for comments and have a great weekend.

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  8. Cor, you must of got so close to it, good shots Margaret.

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    1. HI Bob Many thnaks for your comment. You would have been able to get even closer with your big lens! Have a great weekend.

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  9. i like their yellow feet - as you said, like our snowies. :)

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    1. HI Tex Yes I love their yellow feet also. Thanks for comment.

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  10. great photos, video and information. I shall be more informed next time in the Camargue where they hang out the most here.

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    1. HI Lynn I see the cats have let you back to your computer. I am sure they are reliwved you are back to normal again. Dansed the Tango yet? I am glad you liked the imagess and the information about the Little Egrets. Many thanks for your commenets.

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  11. Beautiful pictures of the little egret, very well done Margaret.
    Greetings Irma

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  12. Heron is a beautiful bird.
    The whole series is great photoshoot.
    I wish you a nice weekend.
    Yours :)
    Lucia

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    1. HiLucja. Glad you liked the Heron and thanks for comment.

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  13. I'm always amazed at the beautiful pictures you have of the birds.They must be used to people around,because where I am,it seems the birds take off as soon as I get out of my car.

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    1. Hi Ruth. No The birds are not all that used to people. glad you enjoyed the post and thanks for comments

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  14. What a beautiful bird. And feathered hats (feathered anything except birds) do my head in. And don't get me started on the habit of some society 'ladies' having an entire bird stuffed and mounted on their head gear.

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    1. Hi EC. Yes I know what you mean. glad you liked the images and thanks for comment.

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  15. These similar waterbirds can be seen in Malaysia too.

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    1. HI Great that you see similar birds in Malaysia. Thanks for comment.

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  16. Very beautiful! I always wonder how snowy white birds manage to stay to clean and beautiful in the wild.

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    1. HI M Good question and I think others might like the answer I so I am adding it on my post today howevr I have sent you a personal email. Thanks for your comment.

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  17. Always such good info on your birds Margaret.
    I like that in flight shot with the lovely green background.

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    1. HI Carletta Glad you enjoyed the bird photos and infromation adn thanks for comment.

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  18. These are some wonderful photos. I love the close-up shot in the water and the in-flight picture.

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    1. HI Linda Many thanks for your comments and I am glad you ennjoyed the images.

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  19. Lots of information there Margaret. It's always good to see these birds, The good news is that they seem to be rapidly on the increase!...[;o)

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    1. Yes Trevor, they are increasing and spreading their territorary which is great. Glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for comments.

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  20. Gorgeous birds. I'm happy they're increasing in numbers.

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  21. Very interesting post Margaret with some great photos. Its wonderful the way their numbers have increased and they have spread northwards - I've seen them often in Warwickshire.

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    1. HI RR I am glad you found this post interesing adn thanks for your comment.

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  22. nice series. I love their big yellow feet. :)

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  23. HI Glad you liked the series and thanls for comment.

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  24. Very valuable information, it is not at all blogs that we find this, congratulations I was looking for something like that and found it here. Official Website

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