The
Egret is about 61cm long and has a black beak and legs, yellowish-green
toes, and a slender, snowy white body, which gives the bird
a very graceful appearance. During the Egret's breeding season,
their beaks turn black and they display delicate, feathery plumes
on both their backs and the front portion of their necks, hence
their nickname of "White Egret." When it is not their
breeding season, their beaks are yellow and the plumes on both
their backs and the front portion of their necks disappear.
For Little Egrets, their lores turn red during the breeding
season and they grow two plumes behind their head, as well as
on their backs and on the lower front portion of their necks.
They lose all of these plumes when it is no longer their breeding
season.
Behavior:
Great
Egrets have a nasal-like call that sounds like "ga ga";
Little Egrets occasionally make similar sounds, but their voices
are hoarser and throatier. Egrets are usually found in watery
areas, such as near oceans, river outlets, marshlands, shoals,
and ponds. They are gregarious birds, with Great Egrets often
mingling with Egrets and Little Egrets, treading together in
the water with their long necks outstretched and upright. Egrets
usually forage for food in the water during high tide and fly
to trees to rest during low tide. They hunt by disturbing the
water and scaring schools of fish, which they then spear with
their beaks. During their breeding season, Egrets and other
birds from the Egretta family will often nest together in bamboo
bushes, Taiwan acacias, and casuarinas. They often tuck their
necks in while perched or flying, and though the rate at which
they beat their wings while flying is low, they are very graceful
flyers and look quite poised when in flight.
Habitat:
Egrets
are a common resident in Taiwan whose habitat ranges from level
ground to low altitude areas and include rivers, rice paddies,
fish farms, marshlands, river outlets, and shoals. Some Egrets
in Taiwan will migrate south for the winter.
