Egret. ... and their body weight could go as high as one kilogram, more often. How to distinguish from a snowy egret: Smaller than snowy egret, During breeding, lores are purple, Bill, legs, and feet are yellow, and Short, thick, pointed bill. Interesting facts: The cattle egret was introduced to South America in 1880 from Africa. Little X Cattle Egret – A possible hybrid Little X Cattle Egret was photographed in Sarzeau, France on 21 May 2008 (photos and discussion) In depth: What’s the difference between the Little Egret, Intermediate Egret, and Great Egret? Look for dark gray lores which will make the … Finding and identifying a Little Egret among Snowy Egrets Read More » The short, thick-necked Cattle Egret spends most of its time in fields rather than streams. The beak of the Great is extremely long and affusolate and if you compare the two there is a decided difference. Similar looking birds to Cattle Egret: Great Egret Adult, Snowy Egret Adult, Little Blue Heron Juvenile Similar Species to Cattle Egret, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology Photos comparing this bird species with similar or confusing species, including captions that point out specific differences to help confirm identification. They were first seen in Florida in 1942 and found nesting in 1950’s. Back to Little Egret main page To find a Little Egret among Snowy Egrets: Look for long dangling head plumes (which all adult Little Egrets have, except when molting in fall, and all Snowy Egrets lack, except for a few rare individuals that may be hybrids). NOTE: Identification tips on this page are primarily for mature birds in breeding plumage (for the three egret species), and for the juvenile Little Blue Heron. They often spend time close to livestock and grab insects and worms which their hooves disturb. • Both egrets and herons are medium to large size birds, but the largest species are among herons, more often. Bill is pinkish when breeding and yellow when non-breeding. Slightly smaller but much rarer than the little egret, cattle egrets are visiting the UK in increasing numbers. Unlike Cattle Egret, legs turn black when breeding but otherwise they are yellow. What is the difference between Egrets and Herons? • Egrets are commonly pure white in colour, but herons exhibit various colours. Natureguides kindly provide species video clips for our bird identification videos. Cattle egrets have yellow or greyish legs and a yellow beak, compared to the black legs (with yellow feet) and black beak of the little egret. Intermediate - There is no real size difference between Int. Scientific classification; Kingdom: Animalia: Phylum: Chordata: Class: Aves: Order: Pelecaniformes: Family: Ardeidae: Genus: Bubulcus Bonaparte, 1855: Species: This video also helps separate GW Egret from 'white' or leucistic Grey Herons. • Egrets have significantly black legs and yellow beak, which is not very common among herons. Interesting facts: The cattle egret was introduced to South America in 1880 from Africa. The Little Egret (Egretta garzetta), the Intermediate Egret (Ardea intermedia or Mesophoyx intermedia), and the Great Egret (Ardea alba melanorhynchos or Casmerodius albus melanorhynchos) have all white plumage (feathers). They were first seen in Florida in 1942 and found nesting in 1950’s. Little X Snowy Egret – A mixed pair of Little and Snowy Egrets has been observed on Barbados and at least two apparent hybrids with Snowy Egret have been photographed in the northeastern US. How to distinguish from a snowy egret: Smaller than snowy egret, During breeding, lores are purple, Bill, legs, and feet are yellow, and Short, thick, pointed bill. In the image, note the difference between the smaller cattle egret and the larger great egret. A white heron in the UK is likely to be a Little or Great White Egret. Meanwhile, the body length of little egret is around 60 centimetres with a wingspan of about a metre, and the body weight lies between 300 grams. Ultimately, when non-breeding, if a your bird is the size of a Little but without a black bill, you know it's an Int. Identifying Little Egret and Great White Egret While Little Egret is now relatively common, it can sometimes be confused at distance with a much rarer visitor - Great White Egret. However, the Reddish Egret is not found in South Dakota, and the white morph of the Great Blue Heron is generally restricted to Florida. and Little Egrets. Note there are also white morphs of the Reddish Egret and the Great Blue Heron. It forages at the feet of grazing cattle, head bobbing with each step, or rides on their backs to pick at ticks. If the gape line extends past the posterior eye canthus it should not be Mesophoyx (Intermediate Egret). This stocky white heron has yellow plumes on its head and neck during breeding season. Difference Between Egrets and Herons. If you happen to correctly identify the cattle egret than congratulations, but make sure to leave the birds to their usual, daily lives and to not disturb them.