Yellow-billed (Intermediate) Egret

Ardea intermedia

Wetlands. All white; bill yellow; upper legs dull yellow; lower legs black.

Bitterns, Egrets, Herons

Not Endemic

Description

Uncommon resident. Larger than[Western Cattle Egret] and [Little Egret], more heavily built, but smaller than [Great Egret]. Plumes usually absent or reduced when not breeding. Bill and upper legs yellow (orange-red when breeding); lower legs and feet blackish green. The neck has the characteristic kink of the larger herons and, in profile, the long lower neck feathers tend to hang proud of the body; cf. (Western Great Egret). Often confused with Western Great Egret, but can be told by the short gape that finishes below the eye (not behind it). Usually solitary on quiet, well-vegetated pans and floodlands.

Quick Facts

Bird Family

Water-associated birds with long bills and necks and long legs. When breeding, many species have long, filamentous plumes on their back or lower breast (or both), while others have more or less permanent long plumes on their napes. In flight, they tuck their heads into their shoulders, thus differing from storks, ibises and cranes. They seldom soar. Many herons are solitary in habit and secretive; others are gregarious and seen more frequently. Most perch in trees and nest in trees or reeds, or even on the ground. All have harsh, squawking voices heard mostly when flushed. Four comparative silhouettes represent (a): Dwarf Bittern; (b): Squacco Heron; (c): Little Egret; and (d): Grey Heron.