Bird name:

Reddish Egret

Egretta rufescens

Order

CICONIIFORMES

Family

Bitterns, Herons and Egrets (Ardeidae)

Code 4

REEG

Code 6

EGRRUF

ITIS

174824

Breeding Location:

Marshes, freshwater, Swamps

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Colonial

Breeding Population:

Rare to uncommon, Increasing gradually

Egg Color:

Pale blue green

Number of Eggs:

2 - 7

Incubation Days:

25 - 26

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Sticks and grasses with little or no lining.

Migration:

Some migrate

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General

Reddish Egret: Medium-sized egret with blue-gray body and shaggy, pale rufous head and neck. Bill is pink with dark tip. Legs are blue-gray. White morph has all-white plumage, black-tipped pink bill, and blue-gray legs. Sexes are similar. Juvenile of both forms is duller, has black bill.

Range and Habitat

Reddish Egret: Locally resident in extreme southern Florida and along the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana; also occurs in Mexico and the West Indies. Preferred habitats include marshes, shallow bays, and lagoons.

Breeding and Nesting

Reddish Egret: Two to seven pale blue-green eggs are laid in a stick nest built in a mangrove, low bush, or on the ground. Incubation ranges from 25 to 26 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Reddish Egret: Eats fish, frogs, and crustaceans. Forages by wading rapidly in shallow water with wings raised, casting a shadow to cut down on glare.

Vocalization

Reddish Egret: Makes low croaks and soft clucking notes on nesting grounds.

Similar Species

Reddish Egret: Little Blue Heron is smaller, has gray-based bill, and lacks the shaggy neck. Tricolored Heron has a white belly. Other egrets and white herons do not have black-tipped pink bills and blue-gray legs.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America