Reddish Egret
Egretta rufescens

                                                                 White Morph

Description 30" (76 cm). W. 3'10" (1.2 m). A medium-sized heron, slate-gray with shaggy, pale rufous head and neck, bluish legs, and pink bill with dark tip. White phase has bluish legs and pink bill with dark tip. Adult Little Blue Heron darker, without shaggy neck, and with grayish (not pink) bill. Immature grayish with buff on head, neck, and wings; bill dark.

Voice Squawks and croaks.

Habitat Salt and brackish waters, breeding in shallow bays and lagoons; in mangroves (Florida); among cacti, willows, and other shrubs (Texas).

Nesting 3 or 4 pale blue-green eggs in a nest of sticks placed in mangroves or low bushes, or on the ground.

Range Locally resident in extreme southern Florida and along Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana. Also in Mexico and West Indies.

Discussion The Reddish Egret forages by rushing rapidly about in shallow salt water with its wings raised, chasing down fish, frogs, and crustaceans. It also brings its wings forward in front of its body, creating a "canopy" of shade from which it spots its prey more easily. Both color phases may be seen on the Gulf Coast, the dark one predominating in Florida waters, the white more numerous in Texas. During the nuptial display, this species erects the shaggy plumes on its head, neck, and back.

Seasonal Distribution