Great Egret Facts

The elegant Great Egret is common in North America, and found throughout South America, Africa, and parts of Asia. It is a tall all-white heron with an impressive 5 ft wingspan. Males and females look alike and juveniles look like non-breeding adults. They fly slowly with their neck tucked back into a tight s-curve. The birds hunt in classic heron fashion, standing immobile or wading through wetlands to capture fish and many other marine animals with a deadly jab of their sharp bill. Great Egrets also hunt rodents and large insects in open fields, undulating their long necks as they stalk their prey.

Snowy Egret Facts

The feisty Snowy Egret is a smaller all-white heron and their wingspan is just over 3 ft. They range over most of the United States and into most of South America. Males and females look alike and juveniles look like non-breeding adults. They hunt for fish, crustaceans, insects and small reptiles in shallow water, often running about and stamping their feet. They also fly slowly with their neck tucked back into a tight s-curve. Snowy Egrets sometimes mate with other heron species to produce hybrids.

Black-crowned Night Heron Facts

Black-crowned Night-Herons can be found across South America and parts of North America year-round, including California’s coast. Belonging to the same family as Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets, these birds frequently nest alongside related species. They hunt mostly at night and typically spend their days perched quietly on tree limbs, discreetly hidden by the foliage.

Breeding Season

The breeding season for these birds lasts from April to September. They nest in colonies in the tops of trees or shrubs often alongside other species. Both males and females participate in the incubation and care of chicks until they permanently leave the nest. Breeding starts with elaborate courtship displays by the male. The male also builds or renovates a large platform nest of sticks lined with twigs and grasses. The female then lays several light-blue eggs that are incubated for about 25 days. After hatching the chicks leave the nest in about 23 days and move about on nearby branches before fledging. Young chicks are aggressive towards one another in the nest, and stronger siblings often push their weaker kin out of the nest. Parents do not care for egrets that fall out of the nest (but our partners at Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley do!).