| Snowy
Egret |
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Snowy
Egret (Egretta thula)
By Terry B. Johnson, Nongame Branch Chief |
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 Scientific
Name:
Egretta thula. The genus is derived from the French aigrette, for egret.
The specific epithet thula is derived from a Chilean name for the bird
from which the species was first described, in 1782.
Description:
The snowy egret is a typical member of the heron family. Mid-sized at 24
inches in body length, with a wingspan of about 41 inches, its distinguishing
characteristics are a snow-white plumage, yellow lores (naked skin between
the bill and the eye), slender black bill and (often mud-stained) black
legs, and bright yellow to yellow-green feet. Immatures have a yellowish
stripe down the back of the leg. In breeding plumage, long plumes drape
from the head, neck, and back. Those on the back curl upward, making a
duck-like tuft above the tail. |
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Habitat:
Snowy egrets are marshland birds that are encountered less frequently than
Arizona's other common diurnal herons. Cattle egrets are more common
in meadows and pastures, and great blue herons and great egrets are
more common along rivers and streams. |
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Distribution:
Snowies are year-round residents of coastal marshlands in the southeastern
United States (from the mid-Atlantic states through Texas) and California,
south to South America. In Arizona they occur year-round along the
lower Gila River from Phoenix to the Colorado River, and in our “Everglades,” near
Yuma. In summer, they breed inland through the southern states, locally
as far west as California. Arizona breeding colonies exist near Yuma
and below Painted Rock Dam. As with most herons, post-breeding dispersing
snowies may show up almost anywhere. |
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Biology:
The snowy egret is one of the more actively foraging herons. It wades about
in shallow water, shuffling its feet to stir up a variety of prey items
and showing little of the patience that we sometimes associate with
great blue herons and great egrets. Most anything it encounters will
be consumed, after being captured by repeated, remarkably fast, spearing
motions with its sharp bill. Among the favored foods are fish, frogs,
snakes, crabs, crayfish, and aquatic insects.
Snowies leave their roosts at dawn to forage, and return again in the evening.
They may nest in trees, often up to 30 feet above ground, or on the ground,
but most often use small trees and shrubs up to 10 or so feet tall. They
nest in large colonies (up to a thousand or more nests per colony), small
groups, or solitarily. The eggs are laid in spring, both sexes incubate
(for about 18 days), and the young leave the nest about 20-25 days after
hatching. |
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Status:
The snowy egret was included on the Department's draft list of Wildlife
of Special Concern in Arizona (AGFD in prep.), but has not been listed
or proposed for listing by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as endangered
or threatened. Concerns have been expressed about the snowy egret's
status in other parts of its range, but most serious problems seem
to be local rather than range-wide issues. |
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Management
Needs:
Management of this species could be improved by better information on key
roosting and nesting habitats statewide. Habitat requirements should be
documented, as should the effects (if any) of specific recreational uses
of occupied areas. Baseline information on population status will become
more crucial as wetlands continue to be affected by a variety of land uses. |
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