Great Egret

Most likely to be seen alone, standing stock still in a wet field or at the edge of a pond, neck outstretched, waiting for something tasty to happen by. Egrets, like herons, are communal roosters and nesters, however, and during nesting season (March to early June) they will be up in trees raising chicks along with other egrets and herons. Santa Rosa's Ninth St. Rookery is the site of dozens of nests each year--nests of Great Egret, Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis), and Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax). Otherwise, frequents marshy areas, estuaries, fresh and brackish water most anywhere. Common in wet fields, sometimes in highway median strips. May be seen foraging with other birds, including the smaller Snowy Egret. Besides the Ninth St. Rookery, nests in trees behind Spud Point Crab Company, Bodega Bay, and elsewhere in the county.

May be confused with Snowy egret--a more compact bird with a crest, a shorter neck, and a different combination of bill and foot color (photo below). Great Egret is a tall, all-white bird with a very long neck; clear yellow, dagger-like bill; and all-black legs. The head shows no signs of a crest (although wind-ruffled head feathers may suggest a false crest). In breeding plumage (photos below), the upper mandible turns blackish, the skin around and in front of the eye (behind the bill) turns bright chartreuse, and the birds sport extra plumes that are long, feathery, and--unfortunately for this species--highly decorative; demand for breeding plumes nearly led to the extinction of Great Egret (and Snowy Egret) in the early 20th century because they were prized for use in decorating fancy women's hats. The National Audubon Society was founded in response to mass killings of birds in general, but especially egrets (the Society's logo bears an image of a Great Egret to this day).

Snowy Egret is also an all-white wading bird, but it has a different silhouette (a shorter neck and a crest that is most conspicuous during breeding season); a black bill; and black legs with strikingly yellow feet (unfortunately, the yellow feet are frequently hidden underwater; see photo below for comparison). Great Egret may fly short distances with its neck outstretched, as in the silhouette here, but typically flies with its neck pulled back, bulging out below, its feet stretched out behind. In flight, Snowy Egret's neck usually appears neatly tucked in.