Feb 16 2009
Fun with Reddish Egrets
I’ve just begun a leading a tour to South Texas and Northeast Mexico with a group from the Delaware Nature Society. Today, we birded the eastern edge of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, covering Brownsville, South Padre Island, and Laguna Atascosa. We saw lots of nice birds, but I especially enjoyed our encounters with two different Reddish Egrets.
Reddish Egrets are sizable, nearly as large as a Great Egret. Moreover, they are just bursting with charisma–though some other herons surpass them in sheer beauty, the Reddish Egret surely qualifies as our coolest large wader.
Look at those eyes. That shaggy mane. Reddish Egrets brilliantly tread the line between dapper and disheveled. Now, check out that profile.
Reddish Egrets have very long bills, both absolutely and proportionately. This time of year, they are getting ready for nesting, and their bare parts are really coloring up. Get a load of that pink and blue face!
Reddish Egrets are dimorphic, coming in a more common dark morp and a rarer white morph. These colorations are permanent–they don’t vary with age. Most uncommon are birds that are somewhere in between dark and white, like this second bird. You can see it has some stray white feathers in the wings and around its face.
This piebald pattern became much more obvious when the bird began to hunt, lurching and careening around a shallow lagoon in hot pursuit of fast swimming minnows. This behavior is undoubtedly the Reddish Egret’s most amusing and beloved field mark. It’s endlessly entertaining watching these birds literally try to scare up a meal.
Tomorrow–actually later today, as it’s just hit midnight local time–we’ll be birding the mid-section of the Valley. No Reddish Egrets there–they prefer salt or brackish water–but I hope to come back with a few more photos and stories to share with you.
Personality plus. I love the description–”tread the line between dapper and disheveled.”
Gotta love those Egrets. The drunken sailors of the waders. Great shots! Weird plumage.
What a beautiful Egret, I have never seen one. Thanks for sharing. Hope you are having fun.
Love the coloration on that egret! That’s a new one for me, we definitely don’t see them up here in the Houston area. That last pic looks almost as if he’s in the middle of some strange highlands clan dance or something. Great capture, Jeff!
I love this bird. I have a project on it… soooo easy and hard to do at the same time.
INFO:
A medium to large heron of shallow salt water, the Reddish Egret comes in a dark and a white form. It is a very active forager, often seen running, jumping, and spinning in its pursuit of fish.
Hope this helps….
The Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens) is a small heron. It is a resident breeder in Central America, the Caribbean and the southern USA in the Gulf states and California. There is post-breeding dispersal to well north of the nesting range. In the past, this bird was a victim of the plume trade.
According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), there are only 1,500 to 2,000 nesting pairs of reddish egrets in the United States – and most of these are in Texas.[1] They are classified as “threatened” in Texas and receive special protection.
[edit] Appearance
Adult white morphThis species is about 65cm long, with a 115cm wingspan. It is a medium-sized, long-legged, long-necked heron with a long pointed pinkish bill with a black tip. The legs and feet are bluish-black. The sexes are similar, but there are two colour morphs. The adult dark morph has a slate blue body and reddish head and neck with shaggy plumes. The adult white morph has completely white body plumage. Young birds have a brown body, head, and neck. During mating, the males plumage stands out in a ruff on its head, neck and back.
Behavior
The Reddish Egret is considered one of the most active herons, and is often seen on the move. It stalks its prey in shallow water far more actively that other herons and egrets. It frequently runs energetically and uses the shadow of its wings as to drive prey before it; the result is a fascinating, graceful dance. It eats fish, frogs, crustaceans, and insects. The bird’s usual cry is a low, guttural croak.
Reproduction
Reddish Egrets’ breeding habitat is tropical swamps. It nests in colonies, often with other herons, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. These colonies are usually located on coastal islands. These birds have raucous courtship displays. They general involve shaking of the head during the greeting ceremony, followed by chases and circle flights. They also involve raising of the neck, back and crest feathers, accompanied by bill clacking, similar to the Tricolored Heron.
for lots of information websites on this egret also go to:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=active&ei=Lt0ZSsjVCZWqtgeKv_36DA&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=reddish+egret+info&spell=1
really good website. Trust me. Thanks,Lisa Mangrovie Arenna Fromzelo Testinmonial Website Rosier aka Laura White aka me!