A Brief History of the Snowy Egret

When one thinks of Charleston, snow is not the first thing to come to mind. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. The same might be said about the snowy egret. It’s neither an egret nor does it like cold weather.

Originally mis-identified as such (Egretta thula) while the genus name is French for aigrette or aigron “heron” the species name thula, that of a black-necked swan, was applied in error.

If you were to go out into the waterways of Charleston, you might spot a medium-sized white bird. If you would like to identify said fowl as a snowy white egret, you would want to make sure that this heron was outfitted with a black beak, yellow lore (the tufts of colored “skin” between beak and feathers leading to the eyes), black legs and yellow feet. But, don’t be fooled, because during the breeding season of spring/summer, not only does the lacy aigrettes plumage grow in, but the yellow lore of the snowy white egret turns a tinge red, alerting each other of mating time. Upon first spotting, it is difficult to distinguish the male from the female as both genders are around 22-26 inches long (the male, typically slightly longer by mere centimeters at times) boasting a wingspan of approximately 40 inches.

While these birds can be found inhabiting mostly wetlands and aquatic areas—both fresh and salt water, coast zones in bays, marshes, lagoons and the like, egrets enjoy a varied diet of both land and sea! They can be seen noshing on fish, crabs, frogs, snakes, insects, worms, lizards, crustaceans and even rodents. Their shorter legs afford the snowy egret a much more active feeding style than birds of the same ilk with longer legs who practice a very slow-moving feeding style (such as the Great Egret).

They must forage in shallow or standing water, waiting for prey due to the size of their legs. The most common method of feeding practiced in the Lowcountry is thrashing; the snowy egrets stir up the bottom sediments to startle their next meal, sending it toward them. Alternately, they may be seen (in other areas of the world) in the grassy meadows and feeding in the open fields along with other large mammals—such as rhinos—who stir up the areas for them.

Snowy egrets breed in colonies with other herons. Their cacophonous cries around the nesting colonies are aptly juxtaposed with their soft, graceful exhibition. All in all, they’re “equal opportunity nesters.”

Nest sites are typically selected by the males who circle multiple times, displaying warning signals at high altitudes by pumping and pointing head and plumes, and then he nose-dives down to mark his claim on the perfect spot. The male collects twigs, grasses, and other materials while the female constructs it. The female will lay between 2-6 eggs and then they both share incubation duties. The young chicks are fed by both parents. When it comes time for emerging from the nest (a whopping 20-25 days later), it takes them about 5 more days until the young are able to fly.

Once, these delicate snowy white egrets were doomed for extinction, but now... they’re more prominent than ever and can be found residing in Mexico, South and Central Americas, the United States on the Pacific Coast and lowlands (as well as northern Nevada and Utah), along the Gulf of Mexico, southeastern states such as Florida and especially here in Charleston, SC!

Some might consider the Snowy Egret the “Goldilocks” of birds. They happily grace our presence with their elegant white plumage and go where the ecosystem will be a rich environmental habitat for them. So, if you just happen to peek out your window and see one of these beauties, know that your little slice of heaven is… just right.

~ Kristen N. Granet