Egretta
Egretta Temporal range: Late Miocene to present
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White-faced heron, Egretta novaehollandiae | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Pelecaniformes |
Family: | Ardeidae |
Subfamily: | |
Genus: | Egretta T. Forster, 1817 |
Type species | |
Egretta garzetta (little egret) | |
Species | |
See text. |
Egretta is a genus of medium-sized herons, mostly breeding in warmer climates.
Representatives of this genus are found in most of the world, and the little egret, as well as being widespread throughout much of the Old World, has now started to colonise the Americas.
These are typical egrets in shape, long-necked and long-legged. A few plumage features are shared, although several have plumes in breeding plumage; a number of species are either white in all plumages, have a white morph (e.g. reddish egret), or have a white juvenile plumage (little blue heron).
The breeding habitat of Egretta herons is marshy wetlands in warm regions. They nest in colonies, often with other wading birds, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs.
These herons feed on insects, fish, and amphibians, caught normally by cautious stalking.
Taxonomy[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Little_Egret_%28Egretta_garzetta%29_in_AP_W_IMG_3625.jpg/220px-Little_Egret_%28Egretta_garzetta%29_in_AP_W_IMG_3625.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2b/Egretta_novaehollandiae_02_gnangarra.jpg/220px-Egretta_novaehollandiae_02_gnangarra.jpg)
The genus Egretta was introduced in 1817 by the German naturalist Johann Reinhold Forster with the little egret as the type species.[1][2] The genus name comes from the Provençal French for the little egret, aigrette, a diminutive of aigron, "heron".[3]
As with other heron groupings, the taxonomy of these birds has been a source of dispute. Some of these species have been placed with the great herons in Ardea, and conversely, the large white species such as the great egret are occasionally allocated to Egretta. The fact that some members of the genus have common names of "heron" and some of "egret" , causes further confusion in differentiating between this genus and Ardea.
Species[]
The genus contains 13 species:[4]
- Pied heron, Egretta picata
- White-faced heron, Egretta novaehollandiae
- Reddish egret, Egretta rufescens
- Black heron, Egretta ardesiaca
- Slaty egret, Egretta vinaceigula
- Tricolored heron, Egretta tricolor – also known as Louisiana heron
- Little blue heron, Egretta caerulea
- Snowy egret, Egretta thula
- Little egret, Egretta garzetta
- Western reef heron, Egretta gularis
- Dimorphic egret, Egretta dimorpha
- Pacific reef heron, Egretta sacra – also known as Pacific reef egret or eastern reef heron
- Chinese egret, Egretta eulophotes
A fossil species, Egretta subfluvia, is known from the Late Miocene or Early Pliocene of Florida.
References[]
- ^ Forster, T. (1817). A Synoptical Catalogue of British Birds; intended to identify the species mentioned by different names in several catalogues already extant. Forming a book of reference to Observations on British ornithology. London: Nichols, son, and Bentley. p. 59.
- ^ Mayr, Ernst; Cottrell, G. William, eds. (1979). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 204.
- ^ Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 143. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2021). "Ibis, spoonbills, herons, Hamerkop, Shoebill, pelicans". IOC World Bird List Version 11.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
External links[]
- Egretta
- Bird genera
- Extant Miocene first appearances
- Taxa named by Thomas Ignatius Maria Forster