_edited_p.png)
Snowy Egret
Scientific Name:
Egretta thula
Type:
Bird
Habitat:
Almost any shallow aquatic habitat like marshes, mudflats, swamps, wetlands, and coastal areas
Range:
North, Central, and South America
Status:
Least Concern (IUCN Red List)
This species is
NATIVE
to the Truckee Meadows.
Identification:
Snowy egrets are beautiful, slender white birds; medium in size, they are larger than a crow and smaller than a goose. Snowy egrets have long black legs with strikingly bright yellow feet. Snowy egrets have a black bill which they use for foraging in the shallow water.
Fast Facts:
Snowy egrets are highly social birds and will forage with many other common water birds such as herons and gulls.
Because adult snowy egrets use their bright yellow feet to stir up the mud when foraging, they are said to be dancing on golden slippers.
Despite their graceful appearance, snowy egrets are raucous and loud, especially in nesting colonies.
Snowy egrets are long-distance migratory birds that can be found throughout much of the United States, Mexico, Central America and even parts of South America.
While populations of snowy egrets were decimated by hunters for their showy plumes in the late nineteen century, conservation efforts have returned the birds to much of their original territory.
Snowy egrets have been seen in the wetlands near Damonte, Center Creek, and Comstock Parks, and are likely in other parks near wetlands.
Sources:
Contributor(s):
Regina Hockett (research & content)
Alex Shahbazi (edits & page design)