Status in UK:
(A) Resident Breeder, Passage Visitor
Subspecies:garzetta recorded in Britain (of 2 subsp. in the world)
.
Length:
60 cm
Wingspan:
92 cm
Weight:
M/F: 450 g
Scientific name from:
French: aigrette=egret
and Italian: garzetta=a little white heron
World Distribution:
local throughout s,c Europe, Asia Australasia and Africa
Habitat:
Lakes, marsh, flooded fields & estuary
Diet:
Mostly small fish, amphibians, large insects, but wide variety of animals
TitBit:
The elegant neck plumes of an egret in breeding plumage were once more valuable than gold, smuggled into Europe they fetched £15 an ounce or 28g (about £875 at 2000 prices), each Little Egret producing about 1g of plumes.
Population and Distribution
Population Trend:
No population trend available
Distribution:
No distribution maps available
British Population Size:
Summer:
666 pairs
in 2005-09
Winter:
4500 individuals
in 2004/09
  First Record:
East Yorkshire, 1826
First Breeding Record:
Dorset 1996
Latest Survey:
Holling, M. & RBBP (2011) British Birds 104:476-537