Great Egret Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesGreat Egret
Adult
Long-legged wading bird with a long, S-curved neck and a daggerlike bill.
© Alex Lamoreaux / Macaulay LibraryPennsylvania, August 17, 2016Breeding adult (American)
"American" Great Egrets occur across much of North America and South America. Breeding adults have an orange-yellow bill and develop showy plumes (known as aigrettes) that they use in courtship displays.
© Darren Clark / Macaulay LibraryTexas, April 12, 2016Adult
Slowly walks through freshwater or estuarine habitats hunting foraging with stand-and-wait techniques.
© Eric Liner / Macaulay LibraryFlorida, January 18, 2009Not all videos have sound
Breeding adult (African)
"African" Great Egrets are found in sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. Breeding adults have a black bill and blue-green lores between the bill and the eyes.
© Holger Teichmann / Macaulay LibraryKwazulu-Natal, January 14, 2017Breeding adult (alba)
Great Egrets breeding from central Europe to central Asia belong to the alba subspecies group. Breeding adults in this group have a blackish bill, greenish lores, and yellowish to reddish legs.
© Christoph Moning / Macaulay LibraryEmilia-Romagna, April 20, 2014Adult
Great Egrets are opportunistic foragers. They primarily consume fish, but also eat crustaceans, amphibians, and small mammals.
© Hannah Walker / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, December 14, 2009Not all videos have sound
Breeding adult (modesta)
Great Egrets breeding from South Asia and East Asia to Australia belong to the modesta subspecies group. Breeding adults in this group have a black bill, green lores, and dark legs with a pink or purplish wash.
© David Irving / Macaulay LibraryNew South Wales, November 28, 2020Adult
Flies with its long neck tucked in and its long legs trailing behind.
© Henry Gorski / Macaulay LibraryMissouri, August 27, 2020Breeding adult with Roseate Spoonbills
Males perform elegant courtship displays by raising long plumes on their backs. Displays also include head bowing or neck stretching.
© Larry Arbanas / Macaulay LibraryTexas, April 26, 2007Not all videos have sound
Breeding adult (American)
Wades through water slowly stalking fish, amphibians, and other aquatic invertebrates.
© Evan Lipton / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, April 18, 2015Adult (with Snowy Egret)
"American" Great Egret is larger than a Snowy Egret, with a yellow bill and entirely black legs and feet.
© Chris McCreedy - no playbacks / Macaulay LibraryArizona, November 17, 2016Great Egrets while solitary foragers, roost and nest in mixed-species colonies in trees and shrubs.
© Larry Arbanas / Macaulay LibraryTexasNot all videos have sound
Habitat
Found in both freshwater and saltwater wetlands.
© Jonathan Eckerson / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, December 21, 2016Similar SpeciesSnowy Egret
Adult
Snowy Egrets are smaller with a more slender bill than Great Egrets. Bill and feet color are the keys to separate them. Snowies have a black bill and yellow feet, whereas Great Egrets have a yellow bill and black feet.
© John Sutton / Macaulay LibraryFlorida, March 20, 2016Similar SpeciesGreat Blue Heron
Adult (white form)
White forms of Great Blue Herons look similar to Great Egrets but they are larger with a heftier bill. Great Blues also have head plumes (not always visible) that Great Egrets don't have.
© Alex Lamoreaux / Macaulay LibraryFlorida, May 18, 2012Similar SpeciesLittle Blue Heron
Juvenile
Juvenile Little Blue Herons are smaller with a thinner and darker, two-toned bill and greenish legs compared with Great Egrets.
© Zak Pohlen / Macaulay LibraryIdaho, October 26, 2015Similar SpeciesReddish Egret
Breeding adult white morph
White-morph Reddish Egrets are smaller than Great Egrets. Their shaggy-looking neck and pale, two-toned bill separate them from the smooth-necked and yellow-billed Great Egret.
© Jason Leifester / Macaulay LibraryTexas, April 20, 2017Similar SpeciesWood Stork
Adult
Wood Storks are larger than Great Egrets with a much longer and heavier bill. They have black primaries that are visible in flight, whereas Great Egrets are entirely white.
© Jim Sculatti / Macaulay LibraryTexas, June 17, 2017Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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Species in This Family
Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns(Order: Pelecaniformes, Family: Ardeidae)
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