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with Phyllis Yochem
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Tuesday, June 13, 2000
Long necks, long legs don't mean all species of wading birds are the same
Trick to telling them apart is not in plummage color, but in the way they feed
Inexperienced birders sometimes have difficulty distinguishing between the many species of wading birds found in the bays and estuaries around the Coastal Bend. Ornithologists who gave these birds their names have not made this any easier, creating problems by naming some birds egrets and others herons. These two, along with bitterns, are all members of the heron family.
All are long-legged, long-necked wading birds, usually associated with water. Several species of heron and several species of egret are frequently seen here. Though often present, bitterns are not so easily found.
Egrets get their name from their long plumes, called aigrettes, worn during breeding season. Even these plumes are not worn exclusively by egrets. Many herons grow them too. Most, but not all, egrets are white.
Herons found here are the great blue, little blue, tri-colored, green, and two species of night heron. Types of egrets found here are the great, reddish, snowy, and cattle egret.
Red, white and blue
Great blue herons are familiar sights along all our waterways. They stand in shallow water, waiting for dinner to come close enough to grab it. They are tall, up to four feet, with a wingspread of up to seven feet. Their color is usually described as gray blue, but this varies in hue with age and season.
White feathers around the head and neck are accented by a strong black mark above the eye and short black marks along each side of the long neck. In breeding, ornate plumes are worn on the head and back. Sexes are similar but the male bird is larger. Cinnamon pantaloons complete the dashing outfit worn by this dedicated fisherbird.
Reddish egrets are sometimes mistaken for great blue herons, but are very different in appearance and behavior. They are smaller in size, standing at most about three feet tall. Their heads and necks are mauve, while their bodies are slate blue gray. Their bills are pink with black tips. Got that? Now here's the curve ball: reddish egrets also come in white. This is not a stage of their maturation but a color morph, much like blond and brunette hair in people.
The true test of a reddish egret is in his feeding style.
Whereas a great blue heron usually begins fishing with a long, patient stand in one spot, followed by a slow, deliberate, cat-like stalk, the reddish finds prey and begins a dashing pursuit, raising wings and dancing wildly from side to side. This technique is called canopy feeding.
Check feeding styles
In size, the great egret is the white counterpart of the great blue heron. This bird is dressed in snow white feathers, with a yellow bill and black legs and feet. Long, elegant breeding plumage for this bird originates on its back and trails down beyond its tail. It stalks prey slowly in the same manner as the great blue heron.
Little blue herons resemble reddish egrets except they are smaller. Their bills are blue. Their coloring is darker with less contrast, but, watch out, during breeding the little blue's dull green legs turn black. An immature little blue is white (called a color phase). Clear as mud, huh? One clue to this bird is his slow, methodical approach to feeding, nothing like the flamboyant style of the reddish.
I'll have more on this topic next week.
Phyllis Yochem, a Corpus Christi
resident, has studied birds of Texas since 1960.
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