Identifying herons and egrets can be tricky, especially when you are looking at a full white specimen.
It can be an individual of a species that is white, of a species that is white when in the juvenile stadium, or a species that normally has a different color, but also produces so-called ‘white morphs’. Confusing right.
Well, our tip for getting a better grip on identifying white egrets or herons is to take note of the following 2 identifying features:
1. The color of the legs and feet
2. The color of the bill
The picture has an image of a White egret with a thick relatively long yellow bill. And it has black legs of which the feet are not visible. However, the combination of a yellow bill and black legs identifies this individual as the Great Egret or ‘Grote zilverreiger’ in Dutch. A species of which there are 4 subspecies identified in respectively the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Southern Europe. The subspecies from Southern Europa have now moved all the way up to Poland. Great egret – Grote Zilverreiger – Garsa blanku grandi
Eng: Great Egret
NL: Grote zilverreiger
Pap: Garsa blanku grandi
Scie: Ardea alba
Bird Watching Curaçao 