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5

Little Egret (Ardea [Egretta] garzetta) Alternate name(s): "Lesser Egret", "Spotless Egret" Size: 55-65 cm; wingspan: 88-106 cm Weight: 350-550 g

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Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Little Egrets are the medium-sized egrets. Their plumage is all-white in the non-breeding season, with long scapular and frontal plumes during the breeding season. In addition, they grow two long, thin nuchal plumes at the back of their head. Their irises are yellow. The straight bill is black with a yellow base, the legs are black.

Taxonomy, classification See Little Egret at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Little Egret is available HERE . There are two races of Little Egrets. The western, nominate race "garzetta" populates almost all of Africa to the South of the Sahara desert (with the exceptions of two regions in south-western Africa), the Nile valley, the northern coastline near the Atlas Mountains. Of this range, the southern coast of West Africa and the northern coast are wintering grounds; the rest is populated all year round. Parts of South and South-east Europe, including the Balkans, the western half of Turkey, an area around the Black Sea and another South of the Caspian Sea are summer breeding grounds. Little Egrets are found all year round along the entire Arabian coastline, the coastline of Iran/Iraq and basically all of Pakistan, the Indian subcontinent and South-east Asia. Further North, into southern China, there are additional breeding and wintering grounds. The southern end of this race's range in Asia are the Philippines. Little Egrets, race "nigripes", are found in Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia and (non-breeding) in New Zealand. (Note that the Australian/New Zealand population is sometimes also treated as separate race "immaculata".) In Australia, Little Egrets, race "nigripes", inhabit basically the North and the East of Australia, including Tasmania, and a narrow strip along the Australian West coast. They are not found in the arid interior of WA, the central and south-western NT and western SA. There are no Little Egrets along the South coast from about Perth, WA, to Adelaide, SA, either. In the semi-arid dry interior they are found mostly after substantial rainfall events. Race "garzetta" is sometimes found as a vagrant to the northern tropics of Australia, e.g. the Top End of the NT. Little Egrets are found in the shallows of various kinds of wetlands, including ephemeral wetlands such as flooded grassland, and in estuaries and intertidal mudflats. So far we have seen Little Egrets in Australia almost exclusively in intertidal mudflats and in brackish coastal water.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "garzetta" B. Hensen reports spotting a Little Egret, race "garzetta", at Buffalo Creek, Darwin, NT, in November 2018. We have also found Little Egrets, race "garzetta" in both Europe and Oman. Race "nigripes" A Little Egret, race "nigripes", was first spotted by us in the wetlands of Capricorn Resort, Yeppoon, in July 2009. Special access to the wetlands kindly granted by the owners of Capricorn Resort is most gratefully acknowledged. Subsequently Little Egrets, race "nigripes", have been seen by us in swamps and intertidal wetlands in other locations. They are seen by us regularly, e.g., at the Urunga board walk, Urunga Heads, NSW, and were also found in a salt marsh near Old Bar, NSW, in June 2011. In our area, near Narrabri, NSW, Little Egrets, race "nigripes", are not common. A breeding pair was first spotted by us at Narrabri Lake in November 2011. Little Egrets, race "nigripes", were also observed by us in several ephemeral wetlands near Walgett, NSW, in June 2012. A. Ross-Taylor reports spotting Little Egrets, race "nigripes", at Wivenhoe Dam, a water storage dam in south-eastern QLD, in December 2011. J. Ross-Taylor spotted a Little Egret in non-breeding plumage on the Gold Coast, QLD, in June 2014. A. Ross-Taylor then spotted one at the same location in breeding plumage in August 2014. B. Kinross reports spotting Little Egrets, race "nigripes", semi-regularly at Beachmere, QLD. J. Greaves reports spotting a Little Egret, race "nigripes", at Herdsman Lake, Perth, WA, in January 2015, and in Wyndham, WA, in January 2016. M. Eaton found a Little Egret, race "nigripes", at Coolmunda Dam, Darling Downs, QLD, in November 2017. P. Brown spotted a Little Egret, race "nigripes", at Buffalo Creek point, Darwin, NT, in January 2018. M. Mearns found a Little Egret, race "nigripes", at Carmila, QLD, in September 2019. C. Pears reports finding a Little Egret, race "nigripes", at Lake Monger, Perth, WA, in May 2021. Another was found at Lake Herdsman, Perth, WA, in the timeframe July-November 2022.

Photos

Race "garzetta"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Lateral view of a Little Egret in flight - note the yellow feet which characterize this race
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Buffalo Creek point, Darwin, NT, November 2018]

Additional information

More photos were obtained by us in Europe and Oman.

Race "nigripes"

ADULT

BREEDING

Close-up frontal view of a Little Egret in breeding plumage; note the prominent nuchal plumes (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Monger, Perth, WA, October 2022]

Close-up near-frontal view of a Little Egret in breeding plumage looking sideways (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Monger, Perth, WA, October 2022]

Near-frontal view of a Little Egret in breeding plumage looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Coolmunda Dam, Darling Downs, QLD, November 2017]

Near-lateral view of a Little Egret in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Monger, Perth, WA, May 2021]

Near-lateral view of a Little Egret in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Coolmunda Dam, Darling Downs, QLD, November 2017]

Close-up lateral view of a Little Egret in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Monger, Perth, WA, October 2022]

Close-up lateral view of a Little Egret in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Herdsman, Perth, WA, September 2022]

Lateral view of a Little Egret in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Monger, Perth, WA, May 2021]

Close-up lateral view of a Little Egret in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Herdsman, Perth, WA, November 2022]

Lateral view of a Little Egret in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Coolmunda Dam, Darling Downs, QLD, November 2017]

Close-up near-dorsal view of a Little Egret in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Monger, Perth, WA, October 2022]

Near-dorsal view of a Little Egret in breeding plumage, different posture (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Coolmunda Dam, Darling Downs, QLD, November 2017]

Near-dorsal view of a Little Egret in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Coolmunda Dam, Darling Downs, QLD, November 2017]

Direct comparison of a Little Egret in breeding plumage, right, with a White-faced Heron, left (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Coolmunda Dam, Darling Downs, QLD, November 2017]

NON-BREEDING

Close-up full-frontal view of a Little Egret in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Ross-Taylor)
[Gold Coast, QLD, June 2014]

Lateral view of a Little Egret in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Wyndham, WA, January 2016]

Lateral view of a Little Egret moulting into breeding plumage; it has no nuchal plumes yet (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Buffalo Creek, Darwin, NT, July 2020]

Little Egret hunting in mangrove in an intertidal wetland
[Urunga board walk, Urunga Heads, NSW, February 2012]

Near-dorsal view of a hunched Little Egret in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Ross-Taylor)
[Gold Coast, QLD, June 2014]

Near-dorsal view of a Little Egret in non-breeding plumage in an ephemeral wetland
[Near Walgett, NSW, June 2012]

Dorsal view of a Little Egret in non-breeding plumage looking sideways (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Herdsman, Perth, WA, July 2022]

Near-lateral view of a Little Egret taking off (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, August 2014]

Little Egret in transitional plumage taking off (photo courtesy of B. Kinross)
[Beachmere, QLD, August 2012]

Little Egret touching down in shallow water
[Urunga board walk, Urunga Heads, NSW, September 2016]

Comparison between different species of egret/heron: Pied Heron at the back, Little Egret, front left, and Great Egret, front right
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Fogg Dam CR, NT, May 2018]

Direct comparison of a Little Egret with a Brolga (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Wyndham, WA, January 2016]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Oct - Dec

Eggs: 4 - 6

Incubation period: 20 - 25 days

Fledging age: 35 - 37 days

The breeding season depends significantly on geographical latitude. In the tropical north Little Egrets breed Feb. - June. Given the right conditions, Intermediate Egrets can breed any time of the year. They breed in colonies, together with other aquatic birds.

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Basket

Material: Sticks

Height above ground: 5 - 20 m

Seen nesting, together with other aquatic birds, along the shores of Narrabri Lake during the breeding season of 2011.

Little Egret on its nest
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, November 2011]

Same bird and nest as above; view from a different angle; now a chick can be seen under the adult bird's head
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, November 2011]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 42 x 30 mm

Colour: Light blue

Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Sedentary/dispersive

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair

Little Egrets have a different hunting technique compared to other species of egrets or herons.

Instead of always waiting for the prey to move towards them and then snapping it up, they have been observed by us just walking up to their prey, actively pursuing prey in shallow water and also performing some kind of "step-dance", chasing or encircling their prey.

Little Egret standing in the receding tide, waiting for prey to come its way
[Urunga board walk, Urunga Heads, NSW, March 2015]

Little Egret in breeding plumage stalking its prey
[Urunga board walk, Urunga Heads, NSW, March 2015]

Little Egret in breeding plumage actively pursuing its prey
[Urunga board walk, Urunga Heads, NSW, March 2015]

Little Egret in non-breeding plumage stalking around its intended prey, with the intention of trapping it in the circle created by the disturbance; the circle is still visible in the wave pattern at the water's surface
[Near Walgett, NSW, June 2012]

Food, Diet

All egrets and herons prey on aquatic creatures in fresh water or estuaries (fish, frogs, snakes or crustaceans).

Little Egret in breeding plumage with its catch (photo courtesy of B. Kinross)
[Beachmere, QLD, February 2014]

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Wed, 30 November 2022, 23:27 +00:00