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Egrets Ardeidae |
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Egrets share this family with other birds Herons & Bittern which are all having the same body profiles and habitats. Bitterns. All these birds are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds and there are 64 recognized species in this family. Some Egrets joined other Herons to nest colonially on trees while a couple of species use reed beds. The necks are able to kink in an s-shape, due to the modified shape of the sixth vertebrae. The neck is able to retract and extend, and is retracted during flight, unlike most other long-necked birds. To differentiate itself from the Herons, all Egrets are white in color except one species, the Pacific Reef Egret has two color morphs, the light and the dark. The percentage of each morph varies geographically. White morphs only occur in areas with coral beaches. |
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Focusing on Egrets that can be seen in Malaysia:- |
| Great Egret | Ardea alba |
| Intermediate Egret | Egretta intermedia |
| Little Egret | Egretta garzetta |
| Pacific Reef Egret | Egretta sacra |
| Chinese Egret | Egretta eulophotes |
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Most Egrets are seen in open country with wetlands but gather in large numbers in the rice fields and mudflats. There may be isolated individuals staying under the shelters on river banks. Apart from the variance in size between a couple very marginal, it is a daunting task to make a positive ID in the field as judgment by size is neither easy. I will attempt to list out some method commonly used to differentiate them. |
1. Cattle Egrets Bubulcus ibis
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Cattle Egret is a small size Egret at 50 cm. It is resident in Africa, western Europe, middle east, India and all the way to the far east. It is a winter visitor as well as resident in Malaysia. The Cattle Egret is the easiest Egret to ID as there are 2 environment to favor this process. 1] As Cattle Egrets, they prefers open fields, usually in the company of cows and Buffaloes. 2] The bird is frequently seen in breeding plumage, not all birds in the flock but there would be some. What about times when there is a large gathering with no cattle around and none of the bird having that rufous buff? The next Egret that complicate this ID process with the Cattle Egret would be the Little Egrets. The Cattle Egret has short neck, the bill is yellow, the legs - black with brown greenish feet. Facial skin - yellow. Look at the picture marked 16. This is a typical body profile of the Cattle Egret - rather round head combined it looking hunched. |
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2. Little Egrets Egretta garzetta
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The Little Egret though named "Little" is larger than the Cattle Egret at 60 cm. This bird is also found in wide belt from Africa to the far east and down to Australia. This is another common bird in Malaysia. The Little Egret do not gather in a large flock but seek food together in open fields and mudflats. They do that with other species of Egrets as well. The main diagnostic markings for this bird is the dark colored bills, black legs and yellow feet. That should be simple enough. The facial skins is light colored from dull green to yellowish grey. The breeding plumage consist of nape, back breast plumes, the bill turn blackish and the facial skin red and during courtship the feet turns red from yellow. There is also a visiting sub-species Egretta garzetta nigripes with black feet. |
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3. Chinese Egrets Egretta eulophotes
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The Chinese Egret is fairly large at 68 cm. This the bird from the off shore Islands of Korea and China and winters in the Greater Sundas and Philippines. A common bird at the mudflats in Peninsula Malaysia. Prominently the upper mandible is dark color and two third of the lower mandible in flesh or yellowish tone. Facial skin is yellowish towards green. The legs and feet are dull green. This is a bird of the mudflats and the estuary, Get to see many of this bird in Bagan Sungei Buloh and Jeram. So far have not recorded any bird in breeding plumage. |
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4. Intermediate Egrets Egretta intermedia
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The Intermediate Egret is again larger at 70 cm. The rang of this bird is limited to the sub-Sahara, Indian Sub-continent, then south through Sumatra, Java and Australia. This is a winter visitor to Malaysia as well as breeding in Malaysia. Both the Intermediate & the Great Egret look identical and cause some confusion in ID. When both birds are together at the same place, there is instant recognition as the Great Egret is a far larger bird. Apart from physical size, the difference which tell the Intermediate from the Great is the more rounded head and the shorter bill. Then comes the minor or subtle differences - the facial skin on the Intermediate seldom goes beyond the edge of the eyes. In some bird the tip of the beak is darker in shade. The bird prefers freshwater wetlands like swampy lands and padi fields but can also be seen in estuary together with the Great Egrets. Even armed with many pictures in my personal collection which again unfortunately lacking in definition, I have a hard time picking up enough to fill my quota of pictures. That's how close the features of the Intermediate and that of the Great Egrets are alike. |
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5. Great Egrets Ardea alba
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The largest of the all seen in Malaysia, the Great Egret varies is size from 85-102 cm. This bird spread its presence from Sub-Sahara to the Siberian area, the Indian sub-continent then most areas in the far east. This is a common bird in Malaysia. To ID this big bird is easy from its long neck very often kinked at a "S" shape. It has yellow bill with a black tip which very often not detected. Then black legs and feet with the upper tibia yellow. Likewise, on the larger picture below the supposing yellowish part of the upper tibia is not very much lighter in color too. The facial skin is also yellow with the split that runs back beyond the eyes. All these minor details are general information, as to when or whether any of these diagnostic markings appear on a particular bird? That is another matter. Best is to get familiar with the overall bird itself. Unlike the Intermediate Egrets, the Great Egrets prefers coastal mudflats. There are a couple of pictures taken at Bagan Sungei Buloh to reflects on scenes where few of these Egrets & Herons co-exist in one habitat. |
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6. Pacific Reef Egrets Egretta sacra
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Lastly an averagely small "Black" Egret, the Pacific Reef Egret measuring 58 cm. This is a bird from the coastal Andaman Seas, then the coast off the eastern Asian countries down to New Zealand. This species is dimorphic with a dark and white morph. The Pacific Reef Egret species though may appear in white as well, but it is less elegant than the conventional white egrets. This species has shorter legs and beaks, most important a profile less pronounced. As the name implies "Reef" this species is more seen in the northern part of Peninsula Malaysia. |
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The image of Egrets is very fixed in the minds of the local - they are all in white, large birds and very often flying in flocks. Of course not many people know that there are divided into so many species, large and small. For the bird watchers, this is a dull looking bird but with the challenging task of being able to ID each and every one properly as they are encountered. I have not encountered any white morph of the Pacific Reef yet, the availability of pictures for this dark morph is a good ending for a page on white birds. |
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