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Little Egret Egretta garzetta   [Linnaeus, 1766]
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   Page updated:16-January-2013
Order: Ciconiiformes Family: Ardeidae
BTO Codes: ET, LITEG EURING No: 1190
Number in Britain: 666 pairs (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK: AMBER
European: Not a species of concern
Global: (Details)
Links to: Images   Videos   Sound  
Status in UK: (A)  Resident Breeder, Passage Visitor
Subspecies: garzetta recorded in Britain (of 2 subsp. in the world)
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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
    Conservation Status: AMBER because Localised Breeding Population,
   Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 AMBER     1996-2001 GREEN  
   Races of Concern: garzetta AMBER (Rare or Localised)
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
    No habitat data from BBS
European Population Size:
    Summer: 61 to 84 thousand pairs
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe mapped by the EBCC Atlas
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: WBD(I), Bern(III)
Survey Results: Results from BirdTrack

Breeding and Survival
Egg Size: 46 x 34 mm Egg Weight: 28.0 g (of which 7 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records: 3
Clutch Size: 4 - 5 eggs
Incubation: 21- 22 days   by the: Male + Female
Fledging: 40 - 45days as: Altricial, downy
First Clutches Laid: Unavailable
Number of Broods: 1
Number Ringed: Annual Totals
Adult Survival: 0.712       
Juvenile Survival: 0.320 (in First-Year)  
Age at First Breeding: 2 years Typical Lifespan: 5 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 9 years 6 months 25 days (set in 2010)
Read a summary of Ringing Recoveries

Biometrics
Ring Size: G*
Wing Length Adult: Insufficient Data
Juvenile: Insufficient Data
Male: Insufficient Data
Female: Insufficient Data
Weight Adult: Insufficient Data
Juvenile: Insufficient Data
Male: Insufficient Data
Female: Insufficient Data
Seasonal:

Other Names
 
Gaelic: Corra-gheal-bheag Welsh: Crëyr bach
Danish: Silkehejre Dutch: Kleine zilverreiger
Finnish: Silkkihaikara French: Aigrette garzette
German: Seidenreiher Hungarian: Kis kócsag
Icelandic: Bjarthegri Irish: Éigrit Bheag
Italian: Garzetta Norwegian: Silkehegre
Polish: Czapla nadobna Portuguese: Garça-branca-pequena
Spanish: Garceta común Swedish: Silkeshäger

For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
   Voisin, C. 1991 The herons of Europe Poyser, London [598.461 VOI]
   Hafner, H. et al. 2002 BWP Update 4:1-20
   Kushlan, J.A. & Hancock, J. 2005 The Herons Oxford University Press [598.461 KUS]
See Also:
Find scientific papers on Google Scholar or Scirus by clicking the icon
Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
Read State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead