{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Taxon",
  "slug": "great-egret",
  "name": "Great Egret",
  "scientificName": "Ardea alba",
  "category": "Bird",
  "summary": "The great egret (Ardea alba) is a tall, all-white heron with a yellow bill and long black legs that lives in wetlands on every continent except Antarctica. It stands about 1 m tall, has a wingspan of about 1.5 m and hunts fish and frogs in shallow water. Its lacy breeding plumes almost led to its extinction in the plume trade. It is now listed as Least Concern.",
  "sections": [
    {
      "heading": "Identification",
      "body": "The great egret is pure white with a long, kinked neck, a yellow dagger-like bill and black legs and feet. In the breeding season the bill can darken and long, lacy plumes called aigrettes grow from the back. Little egrets are much smaller, with black bills and yellow feet."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Hunting",
      "body": "It hunts by walking slowly or standing still in shallow water, then spearing fish, frogs or crayfish with a fast jab of the bill. It also stalks dry fields for insects, rodents and small reptiles. Flight is slow and graceful, with the neck tucked back."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Saved from the plume trade",
      "body": "In the late 1800s egret plumes were prized for women's hats, and hunters shot breeding adults at their colonies, leaving the chicks to starve. Public outrage helped launch the first bird protection groups and laws. The great egret became the symbol of the National Audubon Society in the United States."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Status",
      "body": "BirdLife International lists the great white egret as Least Concern (2025), estimating 1.1 to 1.6 million mature birds and a stable trend. In Europe it has spread north and west, and it now breeds in the UK and the Netherlands."
    }
  ],
  "faqs": [
    {
      "question": "What is the difference between an egret and a heron?",
      "answer": "There is no strict scientific difference. 'Egret' is used for several white or plumed herons; the great egret belongs to the same genus as the grey heron and great blue heron."
    },
    {
      "question": "How big is a great egret?",
      "answer": "Just under 1 m long and about 1 m tall, with a wingspan of around 1.5 m and a weight of roughly 0.9–1.1 kg."
    },
    {
      "question": "Where do great egrets live?",
      "answer": "In wetlands across the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia."
    },
    {
      "question": "How long do great egrets live?",
      "answer": "About 15 years in the wild; the oldest known wild bird was nearly 23."
    }
  ],
  "sourceUpdate": null,
  "evidence": [],
  "conservationStatus": "Least Concern",
  "taxonomy": {
    "kingdom": "Animalia",
    "phylum": "Chordata",
    "class": "Aves",
    "order": "Pelecaniformes",
    "family": "Ardeidae",
    "genus": "Ardea"
  },
  "stats": {
    "weightKg": 0.87,
    "lengthM": 0.95,
    "topSpeedKmh": 0,
    "lifespanYears": 15
  },
  "facts": [
    {
      "label": "Scientific name",
      "value": "Ardea alba"
    },
    {
      "label": "Other name",
      "value": "Great white egret"
    },
    {
      "label": "Diet",
      "value": "Fish, frogs, crustaceans, insects and small mammals"
    },
    {
      "label": "Habitat",
      "value": "Marshes, lakes, rivers, estuaries and wet fields"
    },
    {
      "label": "Size",
      "value": "Under 1 m long; wingspan about 1.5 m"
    },
    {
      "label": "Weight",
      "value": "About 0.9–1.1 kg"
    },
    {
      "label": "Lifespan",
      "value": "About 15 years in the wild"
    },
    {
      "label": "Conservation status",
      "value": "Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2025)"
    }
  ],
  "range": {
    "nativeRange": "Wetlands on every continent except Antarctica, from the Americas and southern Europe to Africa, Asia and Australia.",
    "continents": [
      "North America",
      "South America",
      "Europe",
      "Africa",
      "Asia",
      "Oceania"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "citation": "BirdLife International (2026). Species factsheet: Great White Egret Ardea alba. BirdLife DataZone. Checked 1 November 2026.",
      "url": "https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/great-white-egret-ardea-alba"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Animal Diversity Web: Ardea alba. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.",
      "url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ardea_alba/"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Tobias, J. A. et al. (2022). AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. doi:10.1111/ele.13898",
      "url": null
    },
    {
      "citation": "Gill, F., Donsker, D. & Rasmussen, P. (Eds). IOC World Bird List v15.2.",
      "url": "https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/"
    }
  ],
  "lastReviewed": "2026-07-16",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/great-egret/",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
    "attribution": "Global Animal Guide — https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/great-egret/",
    "note": "Free to reuse for non-commercial purposes with attribution and a link back to the canonical page."
  }
}