Crankin Frank Meets A Snowy Egret

By: Frank Iacono

The Snowy Egret (a.k.a. Egretta thula) is a small white heron. The Snowy Egret is the American counterpart to the very similar Old World Little Egret, which has established a foothold in the Bahamas.

The Snowy Egret is an all-white species. It has a medium long S-shaped neck, beautiful plume, black bill with yellow around the eyes, and dark legs with bright yellow feet.

At one time, the population of the Snowy Egret was reduced to dangerously low levels as the beautiful plumes were in great demand by market hunters who used them as decorations for women’s hats. Now the Snowy Egret is protected in the USA by law, under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and thus this bird’s population has rebounded.

The Snowy Egret will roost and nest in colonies in trees near freshwater, saltwater bays, and brackish habitats. It sustains itself by feeding on small fish and other small vertebrates as well as invertebrates caught by stalking its prey. They have also been known to they hunt along the muddy edges of waterways by stirring the mud with their bright yellow feet to flush out any victims. They will take half a step then shake those yellow toes and wait to see if any fish comes over to investigate the ‘yellow worms’ — this step-shake-pause and step-shake-pause style of hunting is unique to the Snowy Egret.

Below, please find five photos of a Snowy Egret I met in North Wildwood, NJ.

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