Great egrets visit the Chesapeake Bay region's marshes and wetlands from spring through autumn. (docentjoyce/Flickr)
The great egret is a large, white wading bird with long, lacy plumes on the back. It visits the Chesapeake Bay region’s marshes and wetlands from spring through autumn.
Appearance:
White plumage
Long, yellow, spear-like bill
Holds its neck in a graceful S-shape
Black legs and feet
Long, delicate plumes on the back during breeding season
Grows to about 39 inches tall with a wingspan of 55 inches
Habitat:
Lives in tidal marshes and wetlands, as well as ponds and mud flats
Range:
Visits the Chesapeake Bay region from spring through autumn
Feeding:
Eats fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquatic insects and other small animals
Silently stalks its prey in shallow waters, then plunges its bill into the water to capture it
Steals much of its food from other, smaller herons and egrets
Predators:
Crows, vultures and raccoons prey upon eggs and young
Flight:
Flies with slow, heavy wingbeats that push the bird up and down
Voice:
Call is a low, hoarse croak or kuk-kuk-kuk
Great Egret courtesy of Pamela C. Rasmussen, Avian Vocalizations Center
Reproduction and Life Cycle:
Nests and breeds in colonies (called rookeries) with other egrets, herons and ibises. One of the Bay’s largest breeding colonies is in Canoe Neck Creek in St. Mary’s County, Maryland.
Usually begins arriving at the breeding colonies in mid-March. New breeders continue to arrive at the colonies into May.
Nests are made of sticks and located high in the canopy of a tree
Females lay 3-5 eggs from early April to mid-June. Both parents incubate the eggs for about 24 days.
Young fledge about 2-3 weeks after hatching
Most adults leave the breeding colonies between late August and mid-October
Usually lives for approximately 15 years
Other Facts:
The largest of three species of the Bay region’s three species of egrets
Highly aggressive toward other birds during courtship, nesting and feeding
