Graceful and deliberate, the Little Egret moves like a whisper along the shallows of Round Hill Creek and the Agnes Water estuaries. Dressed in immaculate white plumage, it glides through reflections of blue and gold, every step a study in poise. It’s noticeably smaller and more slender than the Great Egret, which can stand over a metre tall.
You can often tell them apart at a glance — the Little Egret’s black bill, black legs, and yellow feet give it a daintier, more refined look, especially when wading or hunting along the shallows.
Little Egret
Egretta garzetta
Photo: Stephen Goldsworthy
Photo: Stephen Goldsworthy
Photo: Stephen Goldsworthy
Photo: Stephen Goldsworthy
Bird Description:
Special features:
During breeding season, fine plumes trail from the egret’s neck and back like threads of silk, and their lores — the patch of skin between eye and bill — glow a striking blue. Watching one take flight in the afternoon light is pure poetry: long neck curved, black legs trailing, wings glowing translucent as it rises over the mangroves.
Did you know?:
When hunting, it often fans its delicate yellow feet just beneath the water’s surface — a clever trick to stir up small fish and crustaceans. Then, in a lightning-quick strike, that slender black bill flashes down and dinner is caught.
View more information on this bird at Birdlife Australia: https://birdlife.org.au/bird-profiles/little-egret/
Location: 1770-Foreshore, 1770-LARC Bird Tour, 1770-Sandbar, AW-1770 Golf Course, Eurimbula NP, Sports and Rec
Size: Medium
Type of bird: Water Birds