Little Egret

Latin Name: 
Egretta garzetta
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.
National Status: