https://amateurnithologist.blogspot.com/2014/01/different-birds-c… The lores, the space between the bill and the forward edges of the eyes, are yellow during the nonbreeding season and during the breeding season their lores become a bright lime green, I’ve even seen the lores look almost turquoise blue so there is some color variation of their lores. The Great Egret (Casmerodius albus / Ardea alba) is a large egret with a global distribution. The lores of Snowy Egrets during the nonbreeding season are a bright lemony yellow, during the breeding season their lores become pink to salmon colored. Thanks Mia. Ready for some birdin' 101? At one time, the plumes of the snowy egret were in great demand as decorations for women's hats. First let me say that guessing the size of birds in the field isn’t always reliable but in the case of the photo above the birds are close together so size comparison is easier. Great white egret is more than 90 centimetres long with a wingspan that extends two metres, and their body weight could go as high as one kilogram, more often. By the way, their common name is simply Great Egret, I bite my tongue often because I see people call them “Great White Egret” which is not their correct common name. I’m frequently asked for help with bird identification via email, private messages, in the field and I also belong to several bird identification groups of Facebook where I enjoy helping people figure out what birds they are seeing and sharing. Snowy Egret. It is also known as the Great White Egret, the American Egret, the Large Egret or Common Egret.Previously, it was also referred to as the Great White Heron, leading to confusion with the white morph (form) of the larger, closely related Great Blue Heron.. The snowy egret, scientific name Egretta thula is a small white heron. The bills of Snowy Egrets are basically black although in the nonbreeding season some gray does show on the lower mandible close to their faces and that gets darker during the breeding season. There are some other differences between Great and Snowy Egrets in appearance of course but I think the comparisons I have written about are the most helpful for me in the field for identification and may be for other people too. Such a pretty bird. This beautiful species is a constant resident in Florida and Louisiana, where thousands are seen during winter, and where many remain during the breeding season. In eastern North America, snowy egrets winter along the Gulf Coast and in Florida, as well as north along the Atlantic Coast to New Jersey. Thank you. Meanwhile, the body length of little egret is around 60 centimetres with a wingspan of about a metre, and the body weight lies between 300 grams. Their bill … Thank you for this. Want to have an email notification land in your inbox right after I publish a post? Great Egrets are larger than Snowy Egrets by about 15 inches, Great Egrets are approximately 39 inches in length compared to Snowy Egrets at 24 inches, Great Egrets are about 1.9 pounds where Snowy Egrets weigh in at about 13 ounces. , Thanks for this lovely lesson. The snowy egret is much smaller than the great egret. Only head plumes provide a clear and objective distinction between the species, other features are more subtle, variable and overlapping. Quite often I see confusion about whether a large white wading bird is a Great Egret or a Snowy Egret so this morning I thought I’d share some Great and Snowy Egrets I took precisely nine years ago today that might help with size and appearance differences of these two wading birds. Snowy Egret with Golden Slipper showing – Nikon D200, handheld, f7.1, 1/800, ISO 160, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 360mm, natural light. Birds on the east coast of North America are thought to have moved north with snowy egrets from the Caribbean. American bison have always held a…, It would be nice to have both golden eye and mergansers around…. So, there are definitely size differences between the two species but as I mentioned that might not always be easily discernible in the field. Snowies have a black bill and yellow feet, whereas Great Egrets have a yellow bill and black feet. Of course you're not, you are only a casual consumer of bird knowledge. Snowy Egrets are smaller with a more slender bill than Great Egrets. Click here when you're ready to find out if you got it right! I hope you get your wish. Great series of shots. Great Egrets are larger than Snowy Egrets by about 15 inches, Great Egrets are approximately 39 inches in length compared to Snowy Egrets at 24 inches, Great Egrets are about 1.9 pounds where Snowy Egrets weigh in at about 13 ounces. Do not download, display, PIN, print, hotlink, reproduce or use my images without my permission. Copyright Mia McPherson | All Rights Reserved. Similar looking birds to Snowy Egret: Little Blue Heron Juvenile, Cattle Egret Breeding adult, Great Egret Adult, Great Egret Adult, Reddish Egret Adult breeding white morph Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. So a good way to tell a Snowy Egret from a Great Egret is to look at the feet. Submit your email address below and it will happen! The speciality about egret is that they have a pure white plumage. Gnatcatchers, Kinglets, Dippers and Others, Mockingbirds, Thrashers, Catbirds, Starlings and Pipits, Waxwings, Longspurs and Silky-Flycatchers. Snowy Heron, or White Egret. Great Egret trying to eat a Mullet – Nikon D200, handheld, f7.1, 1/1000, ISO 160, Nikkor 80-400mm VR at 310mm, natural light. The genus title comes from the Provençal French for the little egret aigrette, a diminutive of aigron, “heron”. 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