Great Egret at Lido Key Beach

On a foggy afternoon at Lido Key beach, the elegant Great Egret is a dazzling sight as it walks up to the picnic pavilion within arm’s reach of us. Slightly smaller and more svelte than a Great Blue Heron, these are still large birds with impressive wingspans. Great Egrets were hunted nearly to extinction for their plumes in the late nineteenth century, sparking conservation movements and some of the first laws to protect birds.
The pristinely white Great Egret gets even more dressed up for the breeding season like this one. A patch of skin on its face called the ‘lore’ turns neon green, and long elegant plumes grow from its back. Called aigrettes, those plumes were the bane of egrets in the late nineteenth century, when such adornments were prized for ladies’ hats. Like a peacock, the feathery plumes will spread out like a fan and outside the breeding season, these long feathers disappear.

IPhone14 Pro

Cropped image and increased vibrance.