During spring and summer, the breeding season, even the stocky squat Cattle Egret is pretty, for it is decked out in courtship plumage, and has acquired patches of orange buff color on its crown and back, and its normally dark legs have turned a bright yellowish orange. However, the tall, slender Great Egret, stately and majestic, has outclassed the shorter bird by developing long trains of lacy plumes that extend beyond the tail. The Snowy Egret, which only stands about two feet tall, may still be the prettiest of the three, with black legs and "golden slippers" and it also has lovely plumes to attract its mates. Their beauty almost caused the decimation of these two egrets in the late 1800s when hunters killed them to procure the feathers for ladies hats. Their wholesale slaughter inspired the founding in the United States of the Audubon Society, the world-famous birding and conservation organization. The Snowy and Great Egrets now have full protection in North America, including Mexico, but still such factors as polluted waters and loss of nesting habitat negatively affect them.
Like other members of the heron family, our three egrets are communal roosters and by the hundreds will gather in tall trees to build nests and raise their young. Although their white bodies are a beautiful sight against the foliage, they can be a nuisance to their nearest human neighbors, as noise and odor can be a problem. Some people have tried various approaches to keep the egrets away, but most have not been successful. It is not completely clear why some birds roost in large colonies, but it must have some benefit to them. Hopefully, their pesky presence near human habitation can be tolerated a little longer, until their young have fledged and can be on their own.
