Ardea modesta

(Gray, 1831)

Vernacular names
English : Eastern great egret
French : Aigrette d’Australasie

Classification
Class : Aves
Order : Pelecaniformes
Family : Ardeidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Adults can reach up to 104 cm in length for a wingspan of 1.70 m and a weight up to 1.7 kg. Plumage is entirely white. Elongated plumes on wings, used for display. This species has a black bill and reddish tinge on legs when breeding.

Range and habitat
This species occurs from India to China, south to Indonesia and Australia. Lives in all kinds of coastal and inland wetlands, agricultural areas, up to 4000 m.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : LEAST CONCERN (as A. alba)
CITES : Not Listed
Status : The species declined during the XIXth Century because of the plume trade. Although it has recovered, it could be locally threatened by habitat loss. This newly split species has yet to be assessed on its own by IUCN.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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