The exquisite Snowy Egret is one of North America's most familiar herons, having staged a rapid comeback after protective legislation was enacted in the early 1900s. Found throughout the Western Hemisphere, these wading birds are delicately built, with snowy white feathers, black legs, and bright yellow feet, which they use to actively stir up prey in the shallow waters of ponds and marshes.

Snowy Egrets mainly breed along the coasts, from Oregon and Maine southward, but also in scattered inland sites where suitable wetlands are found. Common in states bordering the Gulf of Mexico, they can also be found in the Caribbean and Central and South America. Their wintering grounds are located along the Atlantic Coast to southern New Jersey, and down into the Bahamas, Cuba, and the Greater Antilles; as well as from the Gulf and Pacific coasts south into Central America.

 

A legend for the range map to the right can be found here.

Between 1880 and 1910, the fancy breeding plumage of Snowy Egrets was in great demand by the fashion industry. Market hunting reduced Snowy Egret populations to dangerously low levels. Following the passage of laws that made plume hunting illegal, the species bounced back and expanded into new areas during the mid-20^th century. Breeding Bird Surveys and Christmas Bird Counts show overall increases; however, since the late-20^th century, Snowy Egret populations have experienced considerable flux, suggesting that the species is vulnerable to environmental threats such as the destruction of coastal wetlands, pollution, and competition with other bird species.

Once the victim of aggressive plume hunting, Snowy Egrets have been protected in North America since 1918 under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. This legislation prohibited the hunting of egrets for their plumes, and helped them to regain their former levels of abundance. Snowy Egrets today may be threatened by chemical contamination, oil spills, and the decline of the wetland environments they depend upon for food. In Florida, the bird is classified as a "Species of Special Concern," and in Connecticut, it is listed as threatened.

Protect water quality by eliminating your use of lawn pesticides and inorganic fertilizers, and by properly disposing of used motor oil.

 

Do not closely approach or otherwise disturb nesting Snowy Egret colonies.

 

For actions you can take, including Audubon activities, please visit our resources page.

Visit our resources page for more information about this species.

Parsons, K. C., and T. L. Master. 2000. Snowy Egret (Egretta thula). In The Birds of North America, No. 489 (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.