The Great Egret has a noticeable S-shaped kink in the neck. Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. It is a highly variable species, showing up in big numbers some years and largely absent in others. This is the cattle egret, an immigrant from Africa that has overrun the continent. Intermediate Egret’s name comes from its size between the Great Egret and the Little Egret or the Cattle Egret. Similar looking birds to Cattle Egret: Great Egret Adult, Snowy Egret Adult, Little Blue Heron Juvenile Similar Species to Cattle Egret, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology Photos comparing this bird species with similar or confusing species, including captions that point out specific differences to help confirm identification. To me, Intermediate always reminds me of a big Cattle Egret rather than a small Great Egret. It forages at the feet of grazing cattle, head bobbing with each step, or rides on their backs to pick at ticks. They often spend time close to livestock and grab insects and worms which their hooves disturb. Comprehensive life histories for all bird species and families. What’s the difference between the Warthog and the Wild Boar? The Great Egret is about 100 centimetres (39 inches) tall, with a wingspan up to 170 centimetres (67 inches). Cattle Egrets have yellowish-greyish feet and legs, Great Herons have black feet and legs, and Snowy Egrets split the difference by having black legs, and weirdly yellow toes. The Little Egret does not have a black line underneath its eye. A stocky egret that is larger than Cattle and Little Egrets, but smaller than the Great Egret. Things to look for include a yellow bill that is shorter than Great Egret but longer than Cattle Egret, a relatively rounded head, and shorter legs than Great Egret, approaching Cattle Egret. Often seen on dry land. Originally from Africa, it found its way to North America in 1953 and quickly spread across the continent. On Dec 20, 2018, at 11:21 AM, Sally Hill <1sallyhill.9@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: There is also some difference in general bulkiness vs. slenderness. The Intermediate Egret and the Great Egret have black legs and feet. Outside breeding season, The Cattle Egret may be confused with other white egrets such as the Intermediate Egret, A. intermedia, which has a longer neck and is less stocky or the Little Egret, A garzetta, which always has a very slender black bill and is much slimmer in profile.The Great Egret, A. alba, is much larger, with a longer neck and legs and a slimmer body. The bill is good for each, the gape line is a bit long for Intermediate but does look relatively short. The Great Egret has a long, thin, yellow beak that may become darker in the breeding season. Legs red or yellow during the breeding season, black during nonbreeding season. The Intermediate Egret has a shorter, thicker yellow beak that may turn red or black in the breeding season. The Little Egret has a black beak. Often confusing and difficult to identify, this bird is truly intermediate between potential confusion species. From: Eric Carlson ; To: OBOL Oregon Birders Online ; Date: Mon, 17 Dec 2018 13:50:15 -0800; I have photos of the slightly smaller looking Great Egret on my ebird checklist if anyone is interested in looking at them. Learn how your comment data is processed. When I lived in the UAE, modesta were the nightmare and in fact I never found a clear Intermediate. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Little Egret (left), Intermediate Egret (middle), Great Egret (right). The breeding adult Intermediate Egret has a black line underneath its eye, but it does not extend past the eye. The Little Egret and the Intermediate Egret have a slight kink in the neck. Of course our great motto of 'always look at the feet' serves you well here too. In Asian populations the bill becomes black during the breeding season; these birds can be distinguished from Little Egret by their completely black feet and shorter bills. Free, global bird ID and field guide app powered by your sightings and media. The Great Egret is more patient, and will stand still for a long time to wait until prey come nearby; then it spears its prey with its beak. Little Egret, Intermediate Egret, Great Egret: what’s the difference? SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. The Little Egret is about 65 centimetres (26 inches) tall, with a wingspan up to 106 centimetres (42 inches). Hi Peter, Like Steve(Cuckooroller),I too would question the proposed identification of some of those 'Intermediate' Egrets,believing them,in fact,to be Great Whites!True Intermediates have a distinctive combination of shorter bill and 'jowled' appearance due to feathering extending further along the lower mandible:this gives an almost Cattle Egret-like appearance.See the photo attached: [obol] Re: Cattle Egret / Intermediate Egret. The short, thick-necked Cattle Egret spends most of its time in fields rather than streams. The Intermediate Egret is about 72 centimetres (28 inches) tall, with a wingspan up to 115 centimetres (45 inches). https://www.bto.org/.../bird-identification/videos/bto-bird-id-cattle-egret The Intermediate Egret and the Great Egret do not have the two long feathers on their napes during breeding season. A noticeable S-shaped kink in the ANIMAL KINGDOM and other books black legs and yellow-soled feet Egret right. 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