is it a Little Egret?

Here are photographs of yesterday's plumed egret taken in the afternoon by Luke Ormond from the foot of Weesuck Avenue -- almost directly opposite where the bird was seen by me in the morning. I would say that it is almost certainly the same bird. But is it a Little Egret? Angus Wilson (and other sources) point out that the bare skin around the eyes and on the lores of Little Egrets are usually blue-gray while on this bird, the skin appears yellowish. Score one for Snowy Egret. However, in breeding plumage Little Egrets, the skin changes color and I believe that birds with yellowish skin (for reasons of geography or otherwise) are not so uncommon. Apparently Snowy Egrets can sometimes show longer plumes but these are usually mixed in with typically shaggy nuptial plumes (I very much doubt that this bird's shaggy plumes were invisible because they were wet and matted down). Also, I have the distinct impression that this bird has a lighter color on the base of its lower mandible which, in my opinion, would score a point for Little Egret. See the second picture below where the bill also looks "dagger-like" to me. I thought the bird looked slightly larger than a typical Snowy and the bill seemed broad at the base (admittedly very subjective impressions with now undoubted Snowy in the neighborhood for comparison).

Just to make things more confusing, Little Egrets have a very wide range and can show differences over that range. Furthermore, hybrids are a possibility between two closely related species. And, just to confuse things even more, there are other white egrets in a wide-ranging superspecies, some of which -- notably the Reef [or Western Reef] Egret -- also have the plume.

Eric Salzman

Eric Salzman

PO Box 775

East Quogue NY 11942

631 653-5236

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