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Little Egret
Latin Name:
Egretta garzetta
Category:
Size:
65cm
Description:
Sexes alike. A slender, snow-white waterbird. White plumage; black legs, yellow feet and black bill diagnostic. Breeding: nuchal crest of two long plumes; feathers on back and breast lengthen into ornamental filamentous feathers. The Intermediate Egret Mesophoyx intermedia is larger with black feet. The Great Egret Casmerodius albus is the largest with a noticeable kink in its neck. Small flocks feed at edge of water, sometimes wading into the shallower areas; stalks prey like typical heron, waiting patiently at edge of water.
Habitat:
inland marshes, jheels, riversides, damp irrigated areas; sometimes tidal creeks.
Food:
small fish, frogs, tadpoles, aquatic insects, crustaceans.
Distribution:
resident; subcontinent, up to 1,600m in outer Himalaya.
Call:
Call Description:
an occasional croak.
IUCN:
National Status:
At IITK: