Subject: Great Egret, Ardea alba

Location: Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Virginia

Stock Number: 6410

Comment: “Great” in the common name means large. The other white Egrets that share the same range as Great Egret are considerably smaller. Snowy Egrets, for example, are about 50% smaller. Snowy Egrets have black bills and yellow feet, while Great Egrets have yellow bills and black feet.

Frogs, fish, and crustaceans make up the Great Egret’s diet. These birds typically feed alone in the shallows, walking very slowly and grabbing or piercing their prey with their long bill.