Great Egret

The great egret is a large, elegant white wading bird found on nearly every continent except Antarctica, favoring wetlands, marshes, lakeshores and coastal habitats, where it hunts by standing still or wading slowly before striking fish, frogs and other small prey with a swift jab of its long yellow bill. It stands close to a metre tall with an entirely white plumage year-round, and during the breeding season it develops long, delicate plumes on its back called aigrettes, which were historically so prized for women's hats that the species was hunted nearly to extinction in parts of North America in the late 19th century. That devastating plume trade helped spark the early conservation movement in the United States, and the great egret remains the symbol of the National Audubon Society today. Populations have since recovered substantially under legal protection, and the species is now widespread and common.