BirdUp · Species
Great Egret
Ardea modestaGray, JE, 1831
Updated
At a glance
The Great Egret is a very large bird, about 83–103 cm long, listed as Least Concern and native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.
- Size
- 83–103 cm
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
- Origin
- Native
- Best seen
- Year-round
- Commonness
- Very common
01 · Identification
How to tell it apart
What does a Great Egret look like?
The Great Egret is a very large bird, about 83–103 cm long and weighing 353–1970 g.
The great egret, also known as the common egret, large egret, great white egret, or great white heron, is a large, widely distributed egret. The four subspecies are found in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and southern Europe. Recently, it has also been spreading to more northern areas of Europe. Distributed across most of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world, it builds tree nests in colonies close to water.
Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
03 · When
When to look
When can you see a Great Egret?
The Great Egret is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
05 · Behaviour
Habits and haunts
What does a Great Egret eat?
The Great Egret feeds on terrestrial invertebrates, terrestrial vertebrates, intertidal invertebrates, fish/invertebrates and fish/invertebrates, usually foraging in pairs or alone.
06 · Gallery
Plumage up close
4 photos
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