Birdorable Great Egret

September 3, 2009 in New Birds with 5 comments

The Great Egret is one of the latest birds we've added to Birdorable. It is widely distributed across the tropical and temperate regions in the world and can be found on all continents. We see these beautiful white birds regularly here in Illinois, where they are quite common. This was however not always the case. In the late 1800s and early 1900s the birds were hunted to near extinction by plume hunters, as they were a popular addition to lady's hats. North American populations of Great Egrets were reduced by more than 95 percent! Fortunately, Great Egrets have recovered as a result of conservation measures. In 1953, the Great Egret was chosen as the symbol of the National Audubon Society, which was formed in part to prevent the killing of birds for their feathers.

Great Egret at Viera Wetlands in Florida

This is a our cute Birdorable version of the Great Egret. For more birds like this see Egret & Other Waders in our Meet the Birds area.

Comments

Andrew on March 22, 2019 at 7:39 PM wrote:

this letter E is for egret

Reed on May 24, 2020 at 1:31 PM wrote:

You should add the great Crested flycatcher to your website!

Spurwing Plover on June 17, 2022 at 7:48 AM wrote:

The Logo of the National Audubon Society once tried to replace it with Blue Flag Logo

JUCILEI ANDREACCI on August 21, 2023 at 5:30 PM wrote:

Yes, it sounds like a phone ring

Pileated woodpecker on August 21, 2023 at 5:32 PM wrote:

"Whinny sounds" A heron sucking on a broken-in whale pacifier

Comments with links or HTML will be deleted. Your comment will be published pending approval.

Your name (required)

Your email address (required)

Your email address will not be published

Comment (required)

I agree to receive updates and news from Birdorable

You can unsubscribe from these communications at any time. For more information on how to unsubscribe, our privacy practices, and how we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy, please review our Privacy Policy. By clicking submit below, you consent to allow Birdorable to store and process the personal information submitted above to provide you the content requested.

2013 Bonanza Bird #13: Clark's Grebe

July 13, 2013

We're adding new birds each day until we reach our 500th Birdorable species! Today's Bonanza bird is Clark's Grebe. Clark's Grebe is a large species of grebe found in western North America. They breed along inland lakes; most of the population migrates to...

2022 Bonanza Bird #9

Introducing the Red-eyed Vireo: A New World Songbird with a Memorable Tune

December 13, 2022

Today's new Birdorable is a New World songbird. Look-up, over here, see me, up here, it's the Red-eyed Vireo! That funny introduction above refers to a common mnemonic, or memory aid, to help birders remember the repetitive song of...

New Crane Species Discovered in South America

April 1, 2015

What timing! In the middle of celebrating Crane Week, we have received breaking news that a new species of crane has been discovered! Unbelievable news out of Bolivia this week as a new species of crane has been discovered breeding near the Salar de Uyuni, one of...

Puerto Rico Week

Endangered & Iconic: Puerto Rico’s Yellow-shouldered Blackbird Joins Birdorable

March 27, 2025

Puerto Rico Week continues today with another new endemic bird added to Birdorable: the Yellow-shouldered Blackbird! The Yellow-shouldered Blackbird is known locally as mariquita de Puerto Rico. or just mariquita. Across South America, mariquita refers to a ladybug;...

Birdorable Blog