Lucas Delgado
There are many species of large birds that have all-white chicks. One example is the Great Egret, a cosmopolitan wading bird that is a common sight in wetlands around the world. It has a long neck, a dagger-like yellow bill, and long black legs. During the breeding season, adult Great Egrets develop long, delicate plumes that they fan during displays. Another example is the Trumpeter Swan, which is the largest of North America's wild waterfowl and one of the heaviest flying birds. It has a pink bill with a black patch on each side and is usually found near ponds, lakes, rivers, and marshes.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Great Egret |
| Height | Over 3 feet tall |
| Neck | Long, S-curved |
| Bill | Dagger-like, yellow |
| Legs | Long, black |
| Habitat | Wetlands, waterways, shorelines |
| Diet | Omnivore, small fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, small mammals, crayfish, shrimp, dragonflies, grasshoppers |
| Breeding | Congregates in colonies, male selects territory, female lays 3-4 eggs |
| Chicks | Downy white, fed by regurgitation |
| Population | 250,000 globally, 30,000 in the US |
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What You'll Learn
Great Egrets are large, all-white wading birds
Great Egrets are large, graceful wading birds with an all-white plumage. Standing at over 3 feet tall, they are a common sight in wetlands around the world, often found in large colonies in trees or shrubs over water. They are also known as the Common, American, or Great White Egret, or White Heron. They are distinctive for their long, S-curved necks, dagger-like yellow bills, and long black legs.
Great Egrets are usually solitary birds, but they congregate in colonies during their breeding season, often alongside other wading birds such as Reddish Egrets, other herons, or Wood Storks. These colonies are large and noisy, and within them, Great Egrets are territorial and aggressive, defending their space with sharp bill jabs and harsh calls. During the breeding season, adult Great Egrets grow long plumes, or aigrettes, which they brandish during courtship displays. These aigrettes are long, delicate feathers that the birds fan during displays. The lores, or the bare skin between the eye and the base of the bill, also change colour during courtship, from a dull yellow to a vivid lime green.
Great Egrets are omnivores, and they eat mainly small fish, as well as amphibians, reptiles, birds, small mammals, and invertebrates such as crayfish, shrimp, dragonflies, and grasshoppers. After pairing up, the male selects a territory, and the couple builds a flimsy-looking platform nest of stems, sticks, and twigs. The female lays 3-4 eggs, which both parents take turns brooding. The parents feed the downy white chicks by regurgitation, and nestlings compete fiercely with each other, with dominant chicks sometimes killing their younger, weaker siblings. This behaviour, known as siblicide, is also seen in other birds such as the Great Horned Owl, Red-tailed Hawk, and Brown Pelican.
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White Ibises are medium-sized wading birds
The American White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) is a medium-sized wading bird. It is a tactile, nonvisual forager, which limits its ability to choose from a wide variety of prey. It forages for food by wading slowly through shallow water and sticking its long, downward-curving bill into the substrate of the water body, sweeping its bill back and forth to pick out suitable food items. Its bill is reddish-pink, as are its legs, and its eyes are blue.
White Ibises are found in the southern half of the US East Coast (Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia), along the Gulf Coast states (Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas), and south through most of the Caribbean coastal regions of Central America. They are also found in urban landscapes in Florida, where they forage in man-made ponds on golf courses. During the summer, they roam along the coast of tidal flats and mangrove swamps, and as the water level recedes in the fall, they shift their foraging area inland to inland marshes and swamplands.
White Ibises are wetland birds and use a variety of habitats, including freshwater marshes, coastal estuaries, mangroves, flooded pastures, mudflats, and swamps. They nest in colonies in trees and shrubs along the water's edge, changing locations nearly every year. They are usually solitary birds, but they congregate in colonies (also known as rookeries) during their breeding season, often alongside other wading birds such as Reddish Egrets and other herons or Wood Storks.
White Ibises are almost entirely white, with black-tipped wings. Juveniles are brown above and white below, with a streaky brown neck and orange-pink legs and bills. Immature birds are a patchwork of white and brown with pink bills and legs, and by the end of their second year, they have mostly white plumage, although some brown feathers remain until the end of their third year.
The oldest recorded White Ibis was at least 16 years and 4 months old when it was found in Florida in 1972. It had been banded in Alabama in 1956. In a field study published in 1987, researchers found evidence of interbreeding between the scarlet and white ibis species in Colombia and Venezuela, and hybrid ibises have also been recorded in Florida.
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Trumpeter Swans are the largest North American waterfowl
Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) are the largest extant species of waterfowl in North America, weighing between 7 and 13.6 kg (15-30 lb) and measuring 138-165 cm (4 ft 6 in - 5 ft 5 in) in length. Large males can exceed 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) in total length and weigh as much as 35 pounds. They are the heaviest living bird native to North America and are about twice as large as Tundra Swans, another North American swan species.
Trumpeter Swans have a large, wedge-shaped black bill that can be lined with salmon-pink coloration around the mouth. The bill measures 10.5-12 cm (4.1-4.7 in), making it the largest of any waterfowl species in the world. The legs are typically gray-pink in color, but can range from yellowish-gray to black. The neck is held straight, in contrast to the curved neck of the Mute Swan, and is gracefully curved. The plumage of adult Trumpeter Swans is snowy white, although cygnets (young swans) have light grey plumage which they molt after about a year.
Trumpeter Swans breed on wetlands in remote Alaska, Canada, and the northwestern United States, and winter on ice-free coastal and inland waters. They build their nests near the shoreline using plant material, and the female creates a bowl-shaped indentation where the eggs are laid. Interestingly, Trumpeter Swans warm their eggs by covering them with their webbed feet. They typically lay one clutch of eggs per year, and both the male and female spend time incubating the eggs.
The population of Trumpeter Swans has been on the rise in recent years, which is good news considering these birds were once nearly extinct. In 1935, there were only 69 known individuals in the world. The species has now expanded its range and nests across the Midwest/Great Lakes and portions of the Northern Rockies. Trumpeter Swans are considered a conservation success story, thanks to successful breeding and reintroduction programs.
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Snow Geese migrate in huge flocks
The annual migration of Snow Geese is a spectacular event in North America, with these birds travelling in huge flocks. They migrate to the Arctic and subarctic zones of North America, as well as neighbouring regions of Russia and Greenland, to breed. This is an arduous journey of several thousand miles, with the birds travelling in massive, noisy flocks, sometimes numbering in the tens of thousands.
Snow Geese spend winters in the coastal marshes and interior wetlands of the United States. They then migrate to their summer breeding grounds in the tundra of the Alaskan and Canadian Arctic. During their winter and migration, large flocks of Snow Geese typically roost at night on lakes and in wetlands, making daily trips to feed in nearby fields. Here, they feed on roots and unharvested grain.
The Snow Geese time their arrival in the north with the melting snow and thawing ice. They do not lay their eggs until the ice has thawed in their breeding grounds. Once breeding is complete, the birds moult and then begin their long migration south, travelling as far as Central Mexico.
The tundra of the far north is a rich foraging ground and a relatively safe place for the Snow Geese to raise their family of 2 to 6 goslings. However, the summer is short-lived at such high latitudes, and the birds must head south as they cannot survive the harsh winter.
The huge flocks of Snow Geese are able to change direction rapidly as the birds can mimic the manoeuvres of distant flock members and do not rely on cues from adjacent birds. This allows them to fly quickly and efficiently to their destination.
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White Terns are medium-sized seabirds
White Terns are buoyant and elegant in flight. They spend their days fishing and bringing back small gifts for their mates. They are often found in the United States near the coast, where they forage in shallow wetlands in large groups, searching for crustaceans and insects. They also nest together in large colonies, fly in flocks, and even take group baths.
White Terns are distinct from other white herons due to the position of the gape, the line extending from the bill to under the eye. If the gape extends past the eye, then it is a White Tern. They are more sedate than other herons, adopting a stand-and-stalk approach rather than the dashing about of Snowy and Little Egrets.
White Terns are vulnerable to human activities such as the destruction of their lowland habitats and capture for the trade of caged birds. As a result, they have experienced a rapid population decline, and they are considered critically endangered. Conservation efforts are crucial for the survival of this graceful seabird.
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Frequently asked questions
The Great Egret, the American White Pelican, and the White Tern are some examples of large birds with all-white chicks.
The Great Egret can be found in most corners of the world and is widespread across waterways and shorelines.
Great Egret parents feed their chicks by regurgitation.
