Eastern Great Egret

Description:

A large bird 1 metre in length, with white plumage, a yellow bill and long reddish and black legs.

Habitat:

Wetland habitats including swamps and marshes, margins of rivers and lakes, damp or flooded grasslands, pastures or agricultural lands, reservoirs, sewage treatment ponds, drainage channels, salt pans and salt lakes, salt marshes, estuarine mudflats, tidal streams; mangrove swamps, coastal lagoons, and offshore reefs.

Notes:

The Eastern Great Egret was recently elevated to full species status. The colours of the bare parts change during the breeding season. Often occurring solitarily, or in small groups when feeding but they also roost in large flocks that may consist of hundreds of birds. Colonies in south-eastern Australia often number in the hundreds of pairs but colonies in the north of Australia may contain thousands of pairs.