Bird Diary - Snowy Egret

A gathering of Egrets is called a Congregation or a Siege. Congregation for when they are huddled together in the wind with their feathers getting ruffled and Siege when they are feeding together. When they’re feeding, they seem to give each other space while they stand still in shallow water, hunting for fish or crustaceans.

The adults develop long, wispy feathers on their heads, necks and backs during mating season, while their feet, which are normally a greenish-yellow, turn a bright orangish-yellow. The males and females take turns incubating their eggs and when it’s time to switch places, they often present each other with a stick, as if to say, “I’ve done some things and now it’s your turn. I’ll watch them.”

I think they are my favorite right now. They are elegant and calm, but funny and they don’t seem to be in any way cruel.