Ardea alba
Marshes, ponds, and coasts. More widespread in summer. Year-round in the South. Four long thin toes, one back, similar to a heron but the bird is white.
What does a great egret look like?
Tall, all white, yellow bill, black legs.
What do great egret tracks look like?
A skinny heron-like print. The all-white bird with a yellow bill and black legs decides it.
- Four long thin toes, one back, similar to a heron but the bird is white
- Track about 6 inches
- Yellow bill and black legs if seen
- All white
- Whitewash under a rookery tree
What does great egret poop look like?
Whitewash under a nesting colony. Do not enter a rookery in nesting season. Do not handle droppings. Several species carry parasites that stay in the soil around a latrine.
Where you find it
Marshes, ponds, and coasts. More widespread in summer. Year-round in the South. Typical places: wetland. Year-round in much of the range. Some move south for winter.
What to do next
- Watch from a distance
- Do not approach a nest
- If a bird is injured, call a local wildlife rehabilitator
This page is a field guide, not a permit to approach wildlife. If an animal is injured, aggressive, or inside a house, call a local wildlife officer.
Animals it is confused with
- Great blue heron identification
- All animal identification pages
- Identify an animal from a photo, track, or description
How do you tell a great egret from a white heron?
In North America the tall white wader with a yellow bill and black legs is a great egret.
How to tell a great egret from similar animals
Use the track, the dropping, and the place together. One print is not enough.
- Great blue heron. A skinny X with a long rear toe. Tall gray-blue wading bird, S-curved neck, dagger bill.
Great egret field marks
- Four long thin toes, one back, similar to a heron but the bird is white
- Track about 6 inches
- Yellow bill and black legs if seen
- All white
Where the sign shows up
Marshes, ponds, and coasts. More widespread in summer. Year-round in the South. Typical places: wetland. Year-round in much of the range. Some move south for winter.
A skinny heron-like print. The all-white bird with a yellow bill and black legs decides it. Whitewash under a nesting colony. Do not enter a rookery in nesting season.
Common questions
How do you tell a great egret from a white heron?
In North America the tall white wader with a yellow bill and black legs is a great egret.