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Great Egret

Great egret
Great egret (Ardea alba) Tobago.jpg
Adult in Tobago
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Ardeidae
Genus: Ardea
Species: A. alba
Binomial name
Ardea alba
Linnaeus, 1758
Ardea alba map.svg
Range of A. alba (excluding A. a. modesta)      Breeding range     Year-round range     Wintering range
Synonyms
  • Casmerodius albus (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Egretta alba (Cramp and Simmons, 1977)

The great egret (Ardea alba), also known as the common egret, large egret or (in the Old World) great white heron, is a large, widely distributed egret, with four subspecies found in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and southern Europe. Distributed across most of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world. It builds tree nests in colonies close to water.

Like all egrets, it is a member of the heron family, Ardeidae. Traditionally classified with the storks in the Ciconiiformes, the Ardeidae are closer relatives of pelicans and belong in the Pelecaniformes instead. The great egret—unlike the typical egrets—does not belong to the genus Egretta but together with the great herons is today placed in Ardea. In the past, however, it was sometimes placed in Egretta or separated in a monotypic genus Casmerodius.

The Old World population is often referred to as the great white egret. This species is sometimes confused with the great white heron of the Caribbean, which is a white morph of the closely related great blue heron.

The scientific name comes from Latin ardea "heron", and alba, "white".

There are four subspecies in various parts of the world, which differ but little. Differences are bare part coloration in the breeding season and size; the smallest A. a. modesta from Asia and Australasia some taxonomists consider a full species, the eastern great egret (Ardea modesta), but most scientists treat it as a subspecies.


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