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Great Egret
Casmerodius albus
Family: ARDEIDAE
Order: Ciconiiformes
Spanish Common Name: Garza blanca, Garza grande, Garza real
French Common Name: Grande aigrette
(c) Glen Tepke |
Courtesy Kenn Kaufman |
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Conservation Status
Global Population: 1,225,000
Continental Population: 270,000
Watchlist Status: 
Audubon State of the Birds Status: no current conservation concerns
The elegant Great Egret is a tall, white wading bird found on every continent except Antarctica. The Great Egret is the symbol of the National Audubon Society, one of the nation's oldest conservation organizations, which was first established to protect birds from feather hunters.
Range & Distribution
A cosmopolitan species, the Great Egret is broadly distributed throughout tropical and temperate wetlands around the globe. In the Americas, it breeds from Canada to Argentina and Chile. Wintering populations can be found as far north as waters remain ice-free in North America. Generally this ranges from Oregon south along the West Coast, and along Mexico down to Panama, as well as throughout much of the southern United States, and up the Eastern Seaboard, sometimes into New York and Massachusetts during warmer years.
A legend for the range map to the right can be found here.
Population Status & Trends
Great Egrets were common and widely distributed in the United States until plume hunters decimated more than 95 percent of the population in the early 1900s. After passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in 1918, the birds mounted a remarkable recovery. They can now be seen not only in their historic ranges, but further north than ever before.
Conservation Issues & Efforts
Great Egret populations in the United States were nearly wiped out a century ago by commercial hunting to supply the millinery trade with the birds' beautiful breeding plumes. Efforts by concerned citizens to end the slaughter led to protective legislation and the birth of the modern conservation movement, and saved the species from extinction. While Great Egrets are no longer jeopardized by indiscriminate shooting, they are vulnerable to the loss of wetlands, and disturbance of their nesting colonies. In Florida, they are classified as a "species of concern" due to habitat destruction and the alteration of natural watercourses. In addition, Great Egrets are susceptible to contamination from high mercury levels within the Florida Everglades.
What You Can Do
Avoid disturbing Great Egret nesting colonies.
Remain vigilant to local, regional, and national legislation affecting wetlands, and support wise land management practices that protect the birds' habitats.
For actions you can take, including Audubon activities, please visit our resources page.
For More Information
References
McCrimmon, D. A., Jr., J. C. Ogden, and G. T. Bancroft. 2001. Great Egret (Ardea alba). In The Birds of North America, No. 570 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.
Kaufman, Kenn. Lives of North American Birds, Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, 1996.
Sibley, David Allen. The Sibley Guide to Birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2000.
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