Great Egret

The Great Egret

When I first saw this beautiful bird on campus I thought I was seeing things. Surely this majestic flamingo-like bird was not in St. Charles, MO! But then a co-worker of mine told me, "Oh yeah, those are here all of the time." You see, I am lucky enough to work at the bookstore here at SCC and we have the perfect view of a scenic lake lake right outside the building. I had noticed geese swimming there before but I had never seen this elegant snow-white bird:  The Great Egret.

You may recognize this bird as the symbol of the National Audobon Society. He is a large, white heron with long black legs and feet, and a straight yellow bill. The Egret has a long neck which it pulls back into an S-curve while flying.

  

The Great Egret is the largest of all egrets which are a type of heron or wading bird. The word "egret" actually comes from the French word "aigrette" and means both "silver heron" and "brush," referring to the long filamentous feathers that can be seen flowing down an egret's back during the breeding season. The egrets use these feathers to attract mates during courtship. These feathers are very beautiful, so beautiful that  the birds were almost hunted to the point of extinction. Plume hunters in the late 1800s and early 1900s reduced North American populations by more than 95 percent. Luckily the birds were soon protected by law and are no longer in danger. I sure am glad they are able to visit us today. It is important to note, though, that the egret is threatened by losing it's wetlands to droughts, draining and mostly pollution.

The Great Egret is a skilled hunter who feeds mostly on fish but also likes to eat insects, birds, small mammals, reptiles and frogs. Maybe that is why the egrets visit our campus. We have a huge frog population and it is very likely that you will see at least one dead frog on the sidewalks no matter what day it is.

Great egrets nest high above the ground in trees. I have not seen a nest or a juvenile egret, but you can tell from the photo above they are pretty darn cute! These birds will roost with other herons and egrets but typically hunt alone or in small, loose groups. Every time I have observed an egret it has been just a single bird. I cannot say whether it is the same bird each time or a new one. Maybe one day I will get lucky and see a pair of them or even a fledgling!

So if you are ever walking around campus and you think you see an albino flamingo or a really skinny stork, chances are it is a Great Egret. Be sure to stop and appreciate it's beauty.