How to Identify a Snowy Egret

As the name applies a snowy egret is a white wild bird from the heron family. The bird has long neck and legs and hails from native North America, where it is commonly found in wetlands and marshes. If you know about the heron family birds, it is likely that you will be able to identify a snow egret without much difficulty. There are some common signs that can lead to an easier recognition of the bird. In addition to long neck and legs, it has long narrow bill that gives the bird an edge in hunting for food in the shallow waters.


  • 1

    If you do not have any knowledge about the heron family birds, and specifically snow egret, it is better to do some search on them, either online or through books. It can a bit of effort but the time spent is worth it, given the amount of joy you will receive when you are able to see and recognize the species actually.

  • 2

    Some of common signs that make the snowy egret identification rather simple are that it has long neck, long legs and a long narrow bill. The bill gives it edge in hunting for food in the shallow waters.

  • 3

    The bird is native to North America. However, it sometimes migrates to other places when hunting for food becomes a bit of an effort and time-consuming. Fish is the staple for these birds and their hunting habits vary from time to time.

  • 4

    Mostly, these snowy egrets are found in wetlands and marshes, whether hunting or not. They tend to stay closer to each other but generally not in large flocks. They also prefer short flights from one wetland to another, and spend a lot of time at one place.

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    The feet of young birds are not exactly of the same colour as adults,who have are bright yellow.

  • 6

    Snowy egret is also a bit heavier than other kinds of heron family birds. They are longer as well and with solid built, although they sometimes do not tend to appear as bigger as they are. This is the reason they can easily mixed with other birds from the heron family.

  • 7

    Summer is normal breeding time for snowy egrets. They lay three to five eggs in nests either made on the water surface, where there is more grass or on the land. They make nests in both environments.

  • 8

    It has yellow eyes and the plummage is entirely white.

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