Great (White) Egret Did you see this animal?
Scientific Name : Ardea alba
Family : Ardeidae
Order : Pelecaniformes
Class : Aves
Phylum : Chordata
Other Name : Large Egret
Habitat : Wetlands
Description : The Great Egret is a large, white waterbird with a large pointed bill (adult bird length approximately 91 cm, wing 35 cm, bill 10 cm, tarsus 17 cm, tail 13 cm). The male is larger than the female. The breeding adult looks white overall with a blackish bill. The non-breeding adult lacks neck plumes. It feeds on fish, frogs, molluscs and aquatic insects. The great egret is a highly successful species with a wide distribution across temperate and tropical habitats worldwide. It forms breeding colonies near large lakes with reed beds or expansive wetlands, preferably at an elevation of 10-40 feet (3.0-12.2 m). Breeding begins at 2-3 years of age, with monogamous pairs forming each season, although it is unclear if the pairs stay together in subsequent seasons. The male chooses the nesting area, constructs the nest using sticks and plant material, which can be as large as 3 feet across, and attracts a female. A clutch of up to six bluish-green eggs is laid at once. Both parents take turns incubating the eggs, which hatch after a period of 23-26 days. The young are fed through regurgitation by both parents and become capable of flight within 6-7 weeks.
Distribution in Bangladesh
Other Species from Group
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Ardea intermedia
(Intermediate (Yellow-billed) Egret) -
Gorsachius melanolophus
(Malayan Night Heron) -
Ardea goliath
(Goliath Heron) -
Ixobrychus flavicollis
(Black Bittern) -
Bubulcus ibis
(Cattle Egret) -
Botaurus stellaris
(Eurasian (Great) Bittern) -
Ardeola bacchus
(Chinese Pond Heron) -
Nycticorax nycticorax
(Black‑crowned Night Heron) -
Ardea cinerea
(Grey Heron) -
Egretta garzetta
(Little Egret)
Species groups
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Bee-eaters -
Booby -
frigatebird -
phalarope -
tropicbird -
Martins and Swallows -
Crows, Drongos & allies -
Woodpeckers -
Eared Nightjars -
Ibises & Spoonbills -
Trogons -
Coucals -
Pelicans -
Darters -
Gulls -
Warblers and allies -
Flowerpeckers & Sunbirds -
Sparrows, Wagtails, Pipits a& allies -
moonbird -
Hawks & Eagles -
Snipes, Sandpipers, Plovers & allies -
Small Kingfishers -
Cisticola & Prinia -
Plovers & Lapwings -
Rails, Gallinules & Coots -
Tits -
Parrots -
Rosefinches and Buntings -
Bustards -
Grebes -
Pheasants & Partridges -
Old World flycatcher -
Starlings and Mynas -
Hornbills -
Buttonquails -
Rollers -
Bluebirds -
Crested Kingfishers -
Cormorants -
Pigeons and Doves -
Jacanas -
Typical Owl -
Finfoots &booby -
Flamingo -
Herons and Bitterns -
Treecreepers -
Nuthatch -
Barbets -
Treeswifts -
Swifts -
Crab-plovers, Coursers and Pratincoles -
Bulbuls -
Frogmouths -
Larks -
Storks -
Broadbills -
Thick-knees -
Painted-snipes -
Nightjars -
Barn-owls -
Large-billed Kingfishers -
Falcons -
Pittas -
Cranes -
Whistling-ducks -
Ducks, Geese & Swans -
Hoopoe
References:
description written by:Fatema-Tuz-Zohora,Department of Zoology, Jagannath University,Dhaka;information source: Encyclopedia of Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh, Vol-26, iucnredlist.org;Photo credit and copyright:Omar Shahadat (Department of Zoology,Jagannath University,Dhaka);taxonomic checklist:P. M. Thompson and S. U. Chowdhury (2020). A checklist of birds of Bangladesh.Birds Bangladesh;more information, please contact us.
description written by:Fatema-Tuz-Zohora,Department of Zoology, Jagannath University,Dhaka;information source: Encyclopedia of Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh, Vol-26, iucnredlist.org;Photo credit and copyright:Omar Shahadat (Department of Zoology,Jagannath University,Dhaka);taxonomic checklist:P. M. Thompson and S. U. Chowdhury (2020). A checklist of birds of Bangladesh.Birds Bangladesh;more information, please contact us.