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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
egret |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Aves |
| ORDER: |
Ciconiiformes |
| FAMILY: |
Ardeidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
No
data |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Egrets
belong to the order Ciconiiformes along with herons,
ibises, and storks. These birds are wading birds
with generally long legs, necks, and bills, as well
as short tails. Necks that can bend vertically but
not laterally characterize them. The sixth neck
vertebra is especially long, causing the familiar
"S" shape to their necks. Herons and egrets
have comb-like serrations on the edges of their
middle claws, which help to preen feathers inaccessible
by their bills. Many egret species can be identified
by wispy, lace-like plumes (called aigrette feathers),
which the males sport during the breeding season.
Most are white in color. |
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| SIZE: |
Great
egrets are approximately 84-102 cm (33-40 in.) tall
and have a wingspan up to 150 cm (59 in.) |
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| WEIGHT: |
Great
egrets weigh about 900-1,360 g (32-48 oz.) |
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| DIET: |
Fishes,
small snakes, amphibians, and invertebrates |
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| RANGE: |
Many
egret species are widely distributed. Great egrets
(Cas merdodius alba) are common through much
of the United States, as well as Central and South
America, Africa, Australia, Asia, and some parts
of Europe. Once native only to Africa, cattle egrets
(Bubulcus ibis) have been spotted in Florida
since the 1950s. It is believed that they traveled
across the Atlantic Ocean to South America in the
1930s and have recently made their way up to North
America. |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
No
data |
| CITES |
3
species are listed as Appendix III in part of their
range, including the cattle egret and the great
egret |
| USFWS |
2
species of egret are listed as Vulnerable, neither
is found in North America |
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| 1. |
The
diets of egrets vary from species to species, but
most prefer fishes, small snakes, amphibians, and
invertebrates. Snowy egrets (Egretta thula)
have specialized feet that may aid them in collecting
food. In addition to stirring up the bottom of lakes
and ponds, the bright yellow color of the feet may
attract small fishes closer to them. Egrets capture
prey with their beaks. Cattle egrets follow cattle
to pick off insects disturbed by their movements.
Snowy egrets may imitate cattle egrets. |
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| In
the early 1900s, human feather collectors devastated
species such as the snowy egret. Used for fashion
clothing and hats, their aigrette feathers were
worth up to $30 an ounce - twice the price of gold
at the turn of the century. Several laws, such as
the Migratory Bird Act, which ended plume hunting
in the United States, now protect them. |
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|
| Perrins,
Dr. Christopher M. and Dr. Alex L.A. Middleton,
Eds. The Encyclopedia of Birds. New York:
Facts on File Pub. 1985. |
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|
Perrins, Dr. Christopher M. The Illustrated
Encyclopedia of Birds: The Definitive Reference
to Birds of the World. New York: Prentice
Hall Press. 1990.
|
|
Gough,
G.A., Sauer, J.R., Iliff, M. Patuxent Bird Identification
Infocenter. 1998. Version 97.1. Patuxent Wildlife
Research Center, Laurel, MD.
http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/infocenter.html |
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