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An egret is any of several heron
Heron

The herons are wading birds in the Ardeidae family. Some are called egrets or bitterns instead of herons.Within the family, all members of the genera Botaurus and Ixobrychus are referred to as bitterns, and - including the Zigzag Heron or Zigzag Bittern - are a monophyletic group within the Ardeidae....
s, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Many egrets are members of the genera
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 Egretta or Ardea which contain other species named as herons rather than egrets. The distinction between a heron and an egret is rather vague, and depends more on appearance than biology. The word "egret" comes from the French word "aigrette", referring to the long filamentous feathers that seem to cascade down an egret's back during the breeding season. Several of the egrets have been moved around from one genus to another in recent years: the Great Egret
Great Egret

The Great Egret , also known as the Great White Egret or Common Egret or Great White Heron, and called kotuku in New Zealand, is a large egret....
, for example, has been classified as a member of either Casmerodius, Egretta or Ardea.

In the 19th and early part of the 20th century, some of the world's egret species were endangered by relentless hunting, since hat makers in Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 and the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 demanded massive numbers of egret plumes and breeding birds were killed in locations all around the world.

Several Egretta species, including the Eastern Reef Egret
Eastern Reef Egret

The Eastern Reef Egret, Egretta sacra also known as Pacific Reef Egret is a type of egret . They are found in many areas of Asia including the oceanic region of India, Southeast Asia, Japan, Polynesia, and in Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand....
, the Reddish Egret
Reddish Egret

The Reddish Egret is a small heron. It is a resident breeder in Central America, the Caribbean and the southern USA in the Gulf states and California....
 and the Western Reef Egret
Western Reef Heron

The Western Reef Heron, Egretta gularis, also known as the Western Reef Egret, is a medium-sized heron. It occurs mainly on the coasts in tropical west Africa, the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf and east to India....
 have two distinct colours, one of which is entirely white.






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An egret is any of several heron
Heron

The herons are wading birds in the Ardeidae family. Some are called egrets or bitterns instead of herons.Within the family, all members of the genera Botaurus and Ixobrychus are referred to as bitterns, and - including the Zigzag Heron or Zigzag Bittern - are a monophyletic group within the Ardeidae....
s, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Many egrets are members of the genera
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 Egretta or Ardea which contain other species named as herons rather than egrets. The distinction between a heron and an egret is rather vague, and depends more on appearance than biology. The word "egret" comes from the French word "aigrette", referring to the long filamentous feathers that seem to cascade down an egret's back during the breeding season. Several of the egrets have been moved around from one genus to another in recent years: the Great Egret
Great Egret

The Great Egret , also known as the Great White Egret or Common Egret or Great White Heron, and called kotuku in New Zealand, is a large egret....
, for example, has been classified as a member of either Casmerodius, Egretta or Ardea.

In the 19th and early part of the 20th century, some of the world's egret species were endangered by relentless hunting, since hat makers in Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 and the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 demanded massive numbers of egret plumes and breeding birds were killed in locations all around the world.

Several Egretta species, including the Eastern Reef Egret
Eastern Reef Egret

The Eastern Reef Egret, Egretta sacra also known as Pacific Reef Egret is a type of egret . They are found in many areas of Asia including the oceanic region of India, Southeast Asia, Japan, Polynesia, and in Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand....
, the Reddish Egret
Reddish Egret

The Reddish Egret is a small heron. It is a resident breeder in Central America, the Caribbean and the southern USA in the Gulf states and California....
 and the Western Reef Egret
Western Reef Heron

The Western Reef Heron, Egretta gularis, also known as the Western Reef Egret, is a medium-sized heron. It occurs mainly on the coasts in tropical west Africa, the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf and east to India....
 have two distinct colours, one of which is entirely white. Little Blue Heron
Little Blue Heron

The Little Blue Heron, Egretta caerulea, is a small heron. It breeds from the Gulf states of the USA through Central America and the Caribbean south to Peru and Uruguay....
 has all-white juvenile plumage.

Species in taxonomic order

  • Great Egret
    Great Egret

    The Great Egret , also known as the Great White Egret or Common Egret or Great White Heron, and called kotuku in New Zealand, is a large egret....
     or Great White Egret, Ardea alba
  • Intermediate Egret
    Intermediate Egret

    The Intermediate Egret or Median, or Yellow-billed, Egret, is a medium-sized heron. It is a resident breeder from east Africa across tropical southern Asia to Australia....
    , Ardea intermedia or Egretta intermedia
  • Cattle Egret
    Cattle Egret

    The Cattle Egret is a cosmopolitan distribution species of heron found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotype genus Bubulcus, although some authorities regard its two subspecies as full species....
    , Bubulcus ibis
  • Little Egret
    Little Egret

    The Little Egret, Egretta garzetta is a small white heron. It is the Old World counterpart to the very similar New World Snowy Egret....
     Egretta garzetta
  • Eastern Reef Egret
    Eastern Reef Egret

    The Eastern Reef Egret, Egretta sacra also known as Pacific Reef Egret is a type of egret . They are found in many areas of Asia including the oceanic region of India, Southeast Asia, Japan, Polynesia, and in Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand....
    , Egretta sacra
  • Western Reef Egret
    Western Reef Heron

    The Western Reef Heron, Egretta gularis, also known as the Western Reef Egret, is a medium-sized heron. It occurs mainly on the coasts in tropical west Africa, the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf and east to India....
    , Egretta gularis
  • Snowy Egret
    Snowy Egret

    The Snowy Egret is a small white heron. It is the American counterpart to the very similar Old World Little Egret, which has established a foothold in the Bahamas....
    , Egretta thula
  • Reddish Egret
    Reddish Egret

    The Reddish Egret is a small heron. It is a resident breeder in Central America, the Caribbean and the southern USA in the Gulf states and California....
    , Egretta rufescens
  • Slaty Egret
    Slaty Egret

    The Slaty Egret, Egretta vinaceigula, is a small, dark egret. It breeds in Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and Mozambique.It is classified as Vulnerable, the biggest threat being habitat loss....
    , Egretta vinaceigula
  • Chinese Egret
    Chinese Egret

    The Chinese Egret or Swinhoe's Egret, Egretta eulophotes, is a full-crested, white egret with yellow bill. It breeds in Russia, North Korea, South Korea and mainland China, and then migrates south through Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia....
    , Egretta eulophotes


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