Little Egrett in Pedregalejo Beach, Málaga, December 2024

The little egret (Egretta garzetta) is a species of bird in the Ardeidae family.

The little egret measures between 55 and 65 cm with a wingspan of 85 to 95 cm. It weighs an average of 500g. There is no sexual dimorphism. It is entirely white with a black beak that is slightly bluish-grey at the base and its legs are black with yellow toes. During the mating season, it wears two long, fine feathers, about 20 cm long, on the back of its neck, called egrets.

The little egret has an opportunistic diet. It feeds mainly on small fish (less than 20 g), aquatic and terrestrial insects, crustaceans, amphibians, molluscs, spiders, worms, reptiles and small birds.

Silent most of the time, it emits a hoarse cry when disturbed or on the colony.

The little egret nests in colonies, often with other ardeids. It can nest on the ground, in reedbeds, scrub or up to 20 m high in trees or rocks. The pair builds the nest together, using reeds and twigs.

The eggs, consisting of 3 to 5 greenish-blue eggs, are laid between late April and early May. The pair incubates alternately for a period of 21 to 25 days. The parents feed the young for around forty days. The young leave the nest to fledge after 5 weeks.

It is found in southern Europe, all around the Mediterranean and in sub-Saharan Africa.

Generally migratory, most of the population winters in Africa, but some is also present in France and Spain. The species has made great strides in recent years, colonising the French Atlantic coast on a massive scale (60% of the French breeding population in 2000). It bred for the first time in Ireland in 1997 (12 to 55 pairs from 1997 to 2001) and in Great Britain in 1998 (68 to 77 pairs in 2000).

It also breeds in the Middle East, notably in Turkey. It is also found throughout South-East Asia.

Sensitive to cold weather, its numbers fall sharply after cold spells in the north of its range, where some birds tend to settle. In winter, it retreats inland, sometimes several hundred kilometres. There it meets up with cormorants, which are also fleeing the cold of winter.

The little egret can be found in all wetlands with shallow waters, lagoons and oyster beds, with a preference for brackish waters. It is just as common along rivers as in marshes in certain regions. Often seen in the company of other ardeids.

Source: Wikipedia