BTO Bird ID - Little Egret and Great White Egret

25 years ago the sighting of any White Heron in the UK would have been greeted with excitement. While Little Egret is now relatively common, it can sometimes be confused at distance with a much rarer visitor - Great White Egret. This video also helps separate GW Egret from 'white' or leucistic Grey Herons.

[@098317]

25 years ago I lived in SW Eire (Co.Cork). Little Egrets were common and breeding locally. An English birder - who runs his own wildlife business, came to visit us. I still remember his surprise when he announced after a week of birding he'd counted more Little Egrets than Mallards on our local estuaries. !!

[@Kap3lka]

I came here after today's wordle. Had no idea what an egret was. Thanks for the info.

[@bearlincs]

I`ve been seeing little egrets in my local area(east Lincolnshire) for a decade or so. Their numbers have slowly increased over the years. They`re usually seen near rivers or watercourses, but sometimes out on the sea marsh, too. I saw my first great white egret today(29/10/2018) a few miles from home. At first I thought it a swan as it was several hundred yards away, but as the video notes, it had that very long and slim neck, long, sharp beak, and took to flight far too easily for a swan. Its flying action had slow, powerful beats.

[@balrajsingh3738]

V v naal hbhjy.

[@TheChainOfGame]

I got the chance to see a great white egret only once, and I’ll never forget. Gorgeous bird, would love to see one again.

[@jakereich]

Head to RSPB Fen Drayton lakes, near Cambridge, if you want to see them again. There are often 20-30 there. I saw 7 when I visited last weekend, and many little egrets.

[@leeetchells609]

@@jakereich I saw one for the first time today in the river tame greater Manchester. It was doing that foot shuffle by the waters edge. When I looked it up it said they were summer visitors and usually only found on south coast! It was the little egret.

[@benwesten6932]

Excellent ID guide, my Little Egret had muddy feet fooling me but you've helped figure it out.

[@KGsPhotography]

I love watching the Egret's fishing. I watched a Great White Egret catch a huge Pike last year.

[@andykendrick6159]

You will also find egrets at Wrabness / Parkeston area of the River Stour (Estuary). I have seen them around this area for around 20+ years. Not believing my eyes when I first saw them wading the shallows. I believe the RSPB have a bird watching hut(s) all but on the foreshore, conveniently really close to where these birds follow the tide in and out.

[@botanicaltreasures2408]

Extremely helpful bird ID videos. Interesting too. Thanks!

[@dragon-acrocantho]

Thank you for Informational egret footage.

[@petsnest4857]

What a great stuff you have uploaded on your channel.Thanks for uploading

[@davidhargreaves4152]

Saw this morning a Little Egret (white) in the River Pinn at Ruislip, Hillingdon, first time I have ever seen one.

[@JillVic]

I saw one right there today too!

[@youandwhosearmy6339]

My first today while at work in my van (December 14, 2018). Clevedon, near Bristol . Thought I was approaching a Heron due to its size, then i noticed it was ALL white and gorgeous. It helped that literally 5 minutes later there were 2 Little Egrets to compare sizes. Cracking bird that looks to be doing really well in winter in the UK. Bird populations and comings and going etc are just so fascinating. Love birds.

[@liliaaaaaaaa]

Thank you for this informative video. I've only ever seen white egret in Egypt, when I was working at a dive centre there, both white and black egrets would come fishing on the shoreline early in the morning before all the tourists came. Yesterday I was sitting in the city centre in Leicester, as the sun was setting and was looking up at the sky to watch the birds flying around (they have had some breeding peregrines in the cathedral near where I was sitting) and lo and behold I saw what looked like a white egret flying past. I had no idea there were 2 types. I've managed to successfully identify the bird I saw flying overhead as a great white egret, from its yellow beak, pure white wings and flying style, it looked identical to the one shown as an example of one flying in the video above. So I'm very grateful for this video. I love all things stork and heron related, so it was a pleasure to see one. It's interesting even I posted a picture of one with a philosophical saying "Thanks to impermanence, everything is possible" on FB yesterday lol, so it was surprising to see one flying by in real life, as if the universe was providing a literal affirmation in bird form. Blessings for all the birds and all the bird watchers who care about them and their lives and safety and welfare around the world as part of the natural ecosystems of the world. :-)

[@seagullwilderness9723]

ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. IN USA TOO

[@davewhite4922]

I live in south yorkshire not far from doncaster went out with my dog muff and was verry exited to see a little egret in the ditch near our local spring iv got a vidio but its not to clear was watching it through binoculars and it was definitely a little egret it was verry nice to see amazing white coulor black legs n black beak

[@mrsbirdlady]

Very interesting video. Lovely Little Egret.

[@bluemacaroons]

i saw a little egret in the river yesterday. I don't usually see them there but the river was very shallow that day so i think it was looking for food.

[@Hedgy327]

Great White egret down on the river Dee near Carrog, Denbighshire. The size is the giveaway

[@edwilson5416]

Well done Mike. I saw one at Doxey Marshes in Stafford today.

[@anne-mariepowell9352]

Saw a Little Egret alone in the River Exe at Exeter 4/8/19 on the north side of the river just below the City quayside in the vegetation below the large weir

[@JolaFallach]

I saw a Little Egret in Wanstead Park along some Black Cormorants this week; before I saw a few baby little egrets in summer 2019 in Epping Forest by Hollow Pond at Leytonstone. They seem to be very shy of people.

[@malcolmfisher3899]

Thanks for this informative video. Just a few hours ago on the afternoon of Thursday 13th. November 2014, I captured a video of a Little Egret on the River Tame in Tamworth. I have seen them there before, but never got close enough to get a half decent video before Gulls drove them off. Sadly my video is only a quarter decent effort, partly because of the blustery conditions.

[@jonnyjobes3621]

Spotted one off the coast of Dublin yesterday, inbetween the coast road and Bull Island. I've seen them abroad so many times but never here before.

[@elainesadlier6113]

I think that I saw a little egret in Erdington tonight. Can't see what else it might have been. Happy days!!

[@MikeGiblin-sp4tb]

I saw two small white egrets together last week, maybe looking for a place to nest.

[@Tigerpuffer]

Great white heron should also be considered, though extremely unlikely, but theoretically possible. They are endemic to the Caribbean region but like all waterbirds, they are prone to long-distance wandering. Great white heron is much larger than great egret and even gray heron, and has pale, yellowish legs. It would certainly be possible for one of these to slip by unnoticed. Great white heron has been found in two consecutive summers in New York... only about 1,500 miles from their home range.

[@DavcoMediaTV]

Very excited to see a little white egret whilst walking my dog in Milton Keynes (of all places) on August 27 2017. Had no idea what the bird was until I did a Google search. Never seen one before. So disappointed that as a keen photographer this was an occasion when I didn't have my camera.

[@LengKingg]

There are 2 little egrets at the newly renovated Albany Park, Enfield

[@MrRobfullarton]

I've seen little egrets, great white egrets (in Bavaria and at Croatia's Krka national park) and have seen cattle egrets that landed at co.Wexford in ireland

[@rufustofus1360]

they literally always come out in front of my house

[@bossy1ish]

I love egrets

[@abcdeisthekeygaming277]

We have these in Louisiana

[@stewartfinlay5437]

Think I saw a little egret in Orangefield park, Belfast this morning 6/1/18

[@davidchaplin6371]

Regular on Breydon Water and surrounding area at Great Yarmouth UK, usually 3 or 4 in the ditches and marshes.

[@wongb316]

I thought it was a crane at first. My brother said it couldve been a swan or a pelican which it looked neither of which. Glad to finally figure out what I saw. Wish I got a picture or video of it..

[@martinroberts2892]

24/05/20 saw a Little Egret in and around Carr Hill, Doncaster for the 2nd week running! Must be a resident now?

[@winyen778]

Cool

[@motiramsharma1426]

Good job nice

[@wongb316]

I think I just saw a great whit egret in upland ca. I only got a glimpse when I was walking my dog and didn't have my phone. It was laying in the park and took off when it saw us. It was bigger than my 80 lb dog and took off very slow and rocked like it was too heavy.

[@skepticalmechanic]

Common here in New Jersey

[@motiramsharma1426]

Nice 😁😁😁

[@VulpineDani]

People in the U.S.: please do not confuse these birds with the Snowy Egret and Great Egret. The birds featured in this video are similar, but not the same species.

[@muhammedfazal7509]

What is the name of this bird

[@mdzahiruddinhjmdzaibin7519]

These little egrets are commonly found in malaysia and brunei. You can see them everyday.(for me i guess)

[@senthamaraiselvi5993]

Very documents

[@normsoutdoors3266]

Egret birds an their hound

[@stevencharter1803]

Cool Egret, check out my footage of the Little Egret

[@brd8764]

पांढरा कावळा.