Bird
Great Egret
Ardea alba
The Great Egret is the largest all-white heron in Trinidad and Tobago and one of the most elegant waterbirds found across both islands, a tall, slender, pure-white bird with a long yellow bill and black legs that stands motionless at the water's edge with a stillness that belies its explosive striking speed. Found in virtually every wetland habitat in T&T, from mangrove edges and coastal lagoons to flooded pastures and freshwater swamps, it is the white heron most likely to be seen by anyone travelling through low-lying wetland areas. During the breeding season adults develop spectacular long white plumes (aigrettes) that were once the target of intensive plume hunting.
Identification
The Great Egret measures 80 to 104 cm, making it noticeably taller and heavier than any other all-white heron in T&T. The plumage is entirely white. The bill is long and yellow, becoming orange-yellow in breeding season. The legs and feet are entirely black. A small area of green facial skin near the eye becomes vivid in breeding condition. In the breeding season adults grow long wispy white plumes (aigrettes) from the back that trail beyond the tail. Distinguished from the smaller Snowy Egret by its larger size, yellow bill, and all-black legs.
Ecology
Great Egrets are patient, stalking hunters that stand motionless at the water's edge or wade very slowly through shallow water, waiting for fish, frogs, small snakes, and large aquatic invertebrates to come within striking range before delivering a lightning-fast bill stab. They are opportunistic and also follow cattle and agricultural machinery to catch disturbed prey. They nest colonially in trees or shrubs, often in mixed heronries with other egret and heron species. The long breeding plumes were prized by the feather trade in the 19th and early 20th centuries, leading to dramatic population crashes; protection laws allowed recovery across most of their range.
Status in T&T
The Great Egret is a common year-round resident on both Trinidad and Tobago in all wetland types. It is also supplemented by migrants from North American breeding populations during the northern winter. The species is fully protected under the Conservation of Wild Life Act and is not a game species. It recovered from historic plume hunting persecution and is now one of the most widespread waterbirds in T&T.
Threats
- Wetland drainage and degradation
- Disturbance of colonial nesting sites
- Pesticide reduction of fish and amphibian prey