Great Egret – Preening in breeding plumageArdea alba April – Texas L=39” ...... WS=51” ...... WT=1.9 lb Order: Ciconiiformes (Herons, Ibises, Storks, New World Vultures, Allies) Family: Ardeidae (Herons, Egrets, Bitterns “The treatment which man has accorded the Egret is not only an evidence of his power over weaker animals, but stands as a blot on this country’s history. The long white plumes, which this bird bears on its back in the mating and nesting season, have long been sought as adornments for women’s headwear. The only way to get these “aigrettes” is to shoot the bird, and shoot it at a time it is engaged in the care of it nestlings. At other seasons it is wild, and only with great difficulty can one approach to within shooting distance, before it takes wing. The plumes are acquired early in the year but not until the birds have accumulated in colonies, and laid their eggs, can a hunter hope for success. Even then the wise millinery agents wait until the rookery is ripe. By “ripe” they mean when the eggs have hatched. If the shooting begins in a colony before this time, the birds will frequently desert their nests and eggs. Thus in order to get the most satisfactory results the plume-hunter must be content to wait until the young appear, and the instinct or parental care is so aroused that the old birds will return again and again despite the fact that they see their companions falling all about them before the guns of the inhuman hunters. This method of attack on any species if long continued means its doom. When old and young alike perish no chance remains to perpetuate the species. continued on next page
Great Egret – In early morningArdea alba October – Texas L=39” ...... WS=51” ...... WT=1.9 lb Order: Ciconiiformes (Herons, Ibises, Storks, New World Vultures, Allies) Family: Ardeidae (Herons, Egrets, Bitterns In the far West a few Egrets still are found, but very rarely. They appear never to have reached abundance there that they did in the Southern States. At one time the lake-shores of Florida teamed with tens of thousands of these elegant, long-legged white creatures. Several years ago I visited rookeries containing great numbers of them, but even then the work of destruction was going on. While visiting a plume-hunter’s camp in 1886 I was told that the New York feather dealers paid ninety cents for plumes of every bird. Since that time the price has gone up and up until recently tourists at Miami and Palm Beach have been paying $10 and more for the scalp of each bird brought in by the white hunters and Seminole Indians of the Everglade country. For several years past the National Association of Audubon Societies has been employing guards to protect the few remaining breeding colonies as far as they are known. These nesting places are distributed from the coastal region of North Carolina southward to the Florida Keys, but it is debatable whether the species can be saved.” T. Gilbert Pearson in Birds of America in 1917
Great Egret – Grabbing a fish from flight Ardea alba October – Texas L=39” ...... WS=51” ...... WT=1.9 lb Order: Ciconiiformes (Herons, Ibises, Storks, New World Vultures, Allies) Family: Ardeidae (Herons, Egrets, Bitterns) Great Egrets inhabit diverse wetland settings, including small ponds, large lakes, estuaries, and tidal basins. They feed by foraging, primarily by walking slowly through the water and quickly striking with their bill. They also will regularly stand near or over the water and wait for prey. Occasionally, they will, as seen here grab prey from flight.
