Egret, Intermediate
Egretta intermedia
A medium-sized egret standing to around 63cm tall. It is smaller than its cousin the Great Egret. It is pure white with black legs and a yellow bill which turns pink/red when breeding. During breeding, the facial skin will turn a blue-green colour and breeding plumes will extend from the breast and wings.
It inhabits wetlands with shallow water, wet grasslands and pastures where it feeds on grasshoppers, other invertebrates, frogs, lizards and small mammals.
The bird can be seen fairly commonly around the Central QLD Coast Landcare Network, however should not be confused with its cousins the Little Egret, Great Egret, Cattle Egret and the light morph of the Eastern Reef Egret.
Classifications: | Bird, water and shoreline |
Family: | Ardeidae |
Information sources: | Ozanimals.com and personal experience |