Great Egret Patch

Great Egret Patch

Large, long-legged, and dazzlingly white, the Great Egret is a showstopper. In the breeding season, showy plumes—called aigrettes—fan from its back, and its lores (between bill and eye) turn neon green. Once hunted nearly to extinction for these plumes to adorn women’s hats, the Great Egret helped spark the modern conservation movement and some of the first laws protecting birds. Today, it is common in wetlands across the globe.