Great Egret
Great Egret
Like all egrets, it is a member of the heron family, Ardeidae. Traditionally classified with the storks in the Ciconiiformes, the Ardeidae are closer relatives of pelicans and belong in the Pelecaniformes instead. The great egret—unlike the typical egrets—does not belong to the genus Egretta but together with the great herons is today placed in Ardea. In the past, however, it was sometimes placed in Egretta or separated in a monotypic genus Casmerodius.
The Old World population is often referred to as the “great white egret”. This species is sometimes confused with the great white heron of the Caribbean, which is a white morph of the closely related great blue heron.
The scientific name comes from Latin ardea “heron”, and alba, “white”.
Photo Gallery
H.J. Ruiz - Avian101 
Wonderful captures, HJ, love the one in flight, look at that wingspan! 🙂
Thank you very much Donna. 🙂
great photos
Thanks Kelly! 🙂
One of our most elegant birds. Your photos are wonderful, HJ. We are so fortunate this bird still exists….
Yes, my friend, you have good eye for birds. Have you notice that the great egret is always looking perfectly white? It’s a very clean bird. And yes, we are fortunate… 🙂
Una magnificae incredibile apertura alare, quella di questo volatile
Buona serata,silvia
Sì, è vero Silvia. Ti ringrazio molto. Un saluto. 🙂
Great shots HJ, these birds lend themselves to some beautiful photography, in reflections and form
Thank you Ashley. Yes, It’s a pleasure to photograph them! 🙂
Lovely shots of this gracious bird, H.J. 🙂
Thank you very much Tiny. 🙂
Great photographs!
Thank you Kendall. 🙂
Welcome!