Great Egret

LC - Least Concern

N5B, N5N - Secure Breeding and Nonbreeding

SNRB - Unranked Breeding

not listed

Great Egret is a large, slender heron. It is the symbol for the National Audubon Society. The common name is a misnomer, as this is actually a heron, in the genus Ardea (great herons).

Adults are 36″ to 42″ long and have a wingspan of 48″ to 60″. They weigh 32 to 40 ounces. Males are larger than females. They live about 15 years.

The plumage is completely white. The neck is very long. Small patches of skin between the eyes and bill (lores) are green.

The bill is long, stout, straight, and yellow.

The legs are long and black. The feet are black.

In flight their neck is pulled back forming an "S" curve and they trail their feet.

36″ to 42″ in length

48″ wingspan

Loud, low-pitched, rapid cuk-cuk-cuk.

Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) is a stockier, much smaller bird, 19″ to 21″. The bill and legs are orange.

Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) is a smaller bird, 22″ to 26″. The bill is black. The feet are yellow, though the legs, like those of the Great Egret, are black.

Freshwater, mud flats, tidal shallows, marshes, irrigation canals, open riverbanks.

April to September

Nesting is usually in colonies in wetlands and wooded swamps, often with Great Blue Herons and Double-crested Cormorants. Occasionally, a pair will nest alone. The nest is a platform of sticks, twigs, and stems in a tree or tall shrub over water.

The clutch is 1 to 6 (average 3) pale, greenish-blue eggs.

Frogs, lizards, snakes, crayfish, fish, mice, birds, aquatic and other insects.

Common migrant and breeder

The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union All Seasons Species Occurrence Map

Bitterns, egrets, and herons (family Ardeidae) were formerly classified under the order Ciconiiformes. Based on a phylogenomic study published in 2008, the family was transferred to the order Pelecaniformes.

Eastern Great Egret is sometimes treated as a separate species, Ardea modesta.

Great Egret...

The other photo is the same Great Egret and a bunch of other ducks and a couple of geese the same day etc. It landed by all the other ducks and geese then walked along the shore hunting for food. I filmed it. It eventually flew away.

Only one I seen and only that one day. I been to that pond several other times since but the egret hasn’t returned. At least not while I was there. I feel fortunate I encountered one. Rarely seen any in this area.

I believe this is a White Egret...

or Great Egret...Not sure though. I took this photo back in early April 2019. I noticed it walking along a pool of standing water at the Ada, Mn. Golf Course. A pretty cool, tall white bird.

Great Egret...

It was hanging around a creek in rural Norman Co. Mn. April 27, 2018. It was rather far away even with my lens at full zoom. Seldom seen one in this area. Spring migration one can sometimes catch views of migrating birds that may nest elsewhere. I probably wouldn’t of thought of photographing the plain landscape had it not been for the contrasting bright white egret adding beauty of its own to it.

A gathering of Egrets

6/24/2018 – Egrets are quite common around Minnesota, but I have never gotten as close to one as I did today, about 20 feet. They usually fly away when you start moving closer. This one perched there above the stream for several minutes while I watched and took photos.

Great egret, Colonial Church pond, Edina, April 1.

The egret explored a small pond and searched for food on September 3.

An egret walks through the shallows at the Colonial Church pond, Edina.

The great egret balanced on one leg while cleaning his feathers.

The egret, surprised by my presence, flees to a nearby tree where he perches over a pond.

A great egret lives in a tree overlooking the pond.

Share your video of this bird.

Location: Golden Valley, MN

Location:  Farmington, MN

Saw flying overhead this morning around 8:15 am.  Second time seeing this in the last couple of weeks. 

Location: Pond in Norman Co. Mn

…this one flew into a pond area I was at and walked along the shoreline hunting for food. It did catch something to eat. I think stickleback minnows since it looked like a small minnow and only minnows I seen were stickleback. Neat bird.

Location: just North of Benson Mn HWY 27

Location: Golden Valley, MN

Location: Just north of Cambridge, MN

Location: Bassett Creek Park, Crystal, MN

A gathering of Egrets

Location: Lebanon Hills Regional Park, Eagan MN

Location: Washington County

Location: Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge

Great Egret perched in a tree above the marsh in The Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge. The green color around the eeye during breeding season is nearly gone.

Location: Ada, Mn.

I believe this is a White Egret...or Great Egret...Not sure though. I took this photo back in early April 2019. I noticed it walking along a pool of standing water at the Ada, Mn. Golf Course. A pretty cool, tall white bird.

Location: Lebanon Hills Regional Park

Egrets are quite common around Minnesota, but I have never gotten as close to one as I did today, about 20 feet. They usually fly away when you start moving closer. This one perched there above the stream for several minutes while I watched and took photos.

Location: Maplewood Heights Park

Location: rural Norman Co. Mn.

It was hanging around a creek.... It was rather far away even with my lens at full zoom. Seldom seen one in this area. Spring migration one can sometimes catch views of migrating birds that may nest elsewhere. I probably wouldn’t of thought of photographing the plain landscape had it not been for the contrasting bright white egret adding beauty of its own to it.

Location: Mississippi River near SCSU.

I was amazed to see it on the bank. Then it flew right over my head. It certainly was large with a great wing span.

Location: Colonial Church pond

Location: Bredesen Park, Edina, MN.

The egret explored a small pond and searched for food on September 3.

Location: Hennepin County

An egret walks through the shallows at the Colonial Church pond, Edina.

Location: pond next to the Colonial Church, Edina.

The egret, surprised by my presence, flees to a nearby tree where he perches over a pond.

Location: 2 great egrets  live near the pond at the Colonial Church, Edina

the egrets live about ten yards from each other and may be a pair. A great blue heron lives nearby. For the past two days, one egret has been moving twigs in a tree overlooking the pond.

Location: Maplewood Heights Park

White Egrets are occasional visitors to Maplewood Hts Park even though the Blue Heron tries to protect his territory with ferocity.

Location: Snail Lake Park

For the last week there have been upwards of 40 Egrets roosting in the trees at dusk. They roost on the northwest side of the loop trail. Before they go up into the trees they hang out in the marsh that the loop trail circles and are often quite close to the trial, usually on the eastern side of the trail.

Location: SW edge of Birch Lake, White Bear Lake, MN

Early evening, a tall, slender, stately white bird, which from its appearance could only have been a Great Egret, walked slowly across the shoreline of our property on Birch Lake. It took its time, paying little attention to anything around it, stood for a few moments at the point where open water meets a reed bed, then gracefully took flight and headed NE across the lake and out of view. I stood about 90 feet away watching the whole time.