AI overview
A Little Egret is a small white wading bird found in wetland areas across Europe, Asia, and Africa that hunts for fish and other small aquatic prey in shallow water. It matters because its populations serve as an indicator of wetland health and it has become increasingly common in northern Europe in recent decades, making it a notable example of how wildlife distributions can shift over time.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Species
Least Concernlittle egret
Species
- PhylumChordata
- ClassAves
- OrderCiconiiformes
- FamilyArdeidae
Habitatmarine, freshwater
via IUCN
Article
The little egret (Egretta garzetta) is a species of small heron in the family Ardeidae. It is a white bird with a slender black beak, long black legs and, in the western race, yellow feet. As an aquatic bird, it feeds in shallow water and on land, consuming a variety of small creatures. It breeds colonially, often with other species of water birds, making a platform nest of sticks in a tree, bush or reed bed. A clutch of three to five bluish-green eggs is laid and incubated by both parents for about three weeks. The young fledge at about six weeks of age.
It is a polytypic species with two or arguably more subspecies. Its breeding distribution comprises the wetlands, waterways and shorelines of warm temperate to tropical parts of Asia, Africa, Australia, and Europe. A successful colonist, its range has gradually expanded north, with stable and self-sustaining populations now present in the United Kingdom.