Top Ten Best Herons and Egrets

Great Egret

• Tall, snowy white with golden bill and black legs.
• Famous for their elegant plumes once hunted for fashion.

• Largest North American heron, often seen standing like a statue at lake edges.
• Majestic, widespread, and a favorite of birders.

• Small but brilliant, with a deep green crown and chestnut neck.
• Clever hunter, known for using bait (insects, twigs) to lure fish.

• Striking transition from all-white juveniles to slate-blue adults.
• Often mistaken for Snowy Egrets when young.

• Stocky, orange-tinted in breeding season.
• Known for perching on livestock and eating insects stirred up by grazing.

Galapagos specialty
• A unique, endemic heron that blends with volcanic rock.
• Shifts color during breeding from slate-gray to iridescent blue.

• Graceful with black bill, black legs, and bright yellow feet ("golden slippers").
• Lively feeder, dancing in shallow water to stir up fish.

• Stocky, red-eyed, active at dusk and night.
• Distinctive with black cap and back over pale gray plumage.

• The world's largest heron, standing up to 5 feet tall.
• Found in Africa and a powerful fisher of giant prey.

• Elegant southern U.S. and tropical species.
• Blue-gray body, white belly, and slender build make it stand out.