Little
Egrets are uncommon in East Gippsland and when seen are usually solitary.
Further north in Australia they are more abundant and can sometimes be found in
loose companies.
We recently
found about twenty Little Egrets on the Brunswick River in far north NSW. A
flock of small white Egrets flew by our small boat leaving us wondering if they
were Little or Intermediate Egrets. Later we found them perched with Little
Black Cormorants in a dead tree among riverside mangroves where identification
was possible – they were non-breeding Little Egrets.
When
hunting for food in shallow water (saline or fresh) Little Egrets will often
dash about after fish with raised wings, a sure ID characteristic. Intermediate
and Great Egrets are stealthy stalking hunters, often standing motionless for
extended periods before making lightning-fast lunges using their long retracted
necks and dagger sharp bills to capture fish and other aquatic prey.
Please click on photos
to enlarge.
Thirteen of the twenty or so Little Egrets perched with Little Black Cormorants in a dead tree on the Brunswick River. |
No nuptial
plumes were evident on the heads of any of the Little Egrets – a sign of non-breeding
condition – not surprising given it was July and the breeding season in SE
Australia is from October to February.
The light breeze is lifting the back-of-head feathers. This bird does have some plumes on the breast. |
This bird may be an immature as it has no breeding plumes on the breast and the legs are grey-green. The facial skin is yellow however – it is yellow-green in less mature birds. |
The bird is about to fly. |
The bird above flew to a nearby mangrove where it used its wings to steady the landing until a stable perch was achieved. Note some breeding plumes are just visible on this bird near the tail. |
Some breast plumes are present on this bird. |
While there is a significant size difference between Little, Intermediate and Great Egrets size is often difficult to assess in the field so other ID features usually need to be considered to confirm the ID of Egrets.
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