egret

[Middle English, from Old French aigrette, from Old Provençal aigreta, from aigron, heron, of Germanic origin.]

A statistical package specializing in techniques suitable for the analysis of epidemiological data.

External Links:

• http://www.cytel.com/Products/Egret/ -- Computer package home page.

(click to enlarge)
Common egret (Egretta alba) (credit: R.F. Head from The National Audubon Society Collection/Photo Researchers)

Any of several species (mainly in the genus Egretta) of wading birds in the same family (Ardeidae) as herons and bitterns. Egrets live in marshes, lakes, humid forests, and other wetland environments worldwide. They catch and eat small fishes, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and crustaceans. They nest in trees and bushes or on the ground. Most are white and develop long plumes for the breeding season. The value of plumes as ornamental objects once drove egrets to near-extinction, but changes in fashion and strict conservation measures have allowed their numbers to increase. The great white egret is about 35 in. (90 cm) long; other common species average 20 – 24 in. (50 – 60 cm) long.

For more information on egret, visit Britannica.com.

The long-legged wading bird (genera Bubulcus, Casmerodius, Leucophoyx) with characteristic long white tail-feathers played an important role in Celtic iconography as early as the Urnfield period (c.800 BC), although not in later vernacular traditions. Three symbolic egrets appear in a temple of the Gaulish god Esus. From earliest times egrets are portrayed with bulls, probably reflecting the habit of the birds in life of perching on the back of the animal to eat its lice. In iconography they are also associated with the willow tree, as befits a bird that forages in marshes. Often egret, bull, and willow appear in combination. The egret may sometimes be confused with the crane. Modern Irish éigrit; Manx coar vane; Welsh crychydd, crëyr; Breton kribell-blu.

Wading birds of the order Ciconiiformes and particularly of the genus Egretta with long legs and bills; highly prized for ornamental plumage. The cattle egret is a separate species, Ardeola bis.

Tutor's tip: If a woman adorns herself with an "aigrette" (feathers or jewels for the hair or a hat), would she look much like an "egret" (heron)?

This is an article about a type of bird. For the EGRET satellite mission, see Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope.

Egret
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Ciconiiformes Family: Ardeidae
Genera
Egretta Ardea

Great Egret in flight

An egret is any of several herons, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Many egrets are members of the genera Egretta or Ardea which contain other species named as herons rather than egrets. The distinction between a heron and an egret is rather vague, and depends more on appearance than biology. The word "egret" comes from the French word "aigrette", referring to the long filamentous feathers that seem to cascade down an egret's back during the breeding season.

Egrets at dusk in Kolleru Lake, Andhra Pradesh, India

Several of the egrets have been moved around from one genus to another in recent years: the Great Egret, for example, has been classified as a member of either Casmerodius, Egretta or Ardea.

In the 19th and early part of the 20th century, some of the world's egret species were endangered by relentless hunting, since hat makers in Europe and the United States demanded massive numbers of egret plumes and breeding birds were killed in locations all around the world.

Several Egretta species, including the Eastern Reef Egret, the Reddish Egret and the Western Reef Egret have two distinct colours, one of which is entirely white. Little Blue Heron has all-white juvenile plumage.

Species in taxonomic order

• Great Egret or Great White Egret, Ardea alba
• Intermediate Egret, Ardea intermedia or Egretta intermedia
• Cattle Egret, Bubulcus ibis
• Little Egret Egretta garzetta
• Eastern Reef Egret, Egretta sacra
• Western Reef Egret, Egretta gularis
• Snowy Egret, Egretta thula
• Reddish Egret, Egretta rufescens
• Slaty Egret, Egretta vinaceigula
• Chinese Egret, Egretta eulophotes

External links

• Great Egret at the USGS

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ardeidae

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