The elegant Great White Egret is a dazzling sight in many North American wetland and in the rainforests of South America. They hunt in classic heron fashion, standing immobile or wading through wetlands to capture fish with a deadly jab of their yellow bill. Great Egrets were hunted nearly to extinction for their plumes in the late nineteenth century, sparking conservation movements and some of the first laws to protect birds.

Great Egrets wade in shallow water (both fresh and salt) to hunt fish, frogs, and other small aquatic animals. They typically stand still and watch for unsuspecting prey to pass by. Then, with startling speed, the egrets strike with a jab of their long neck and bill.
Great Egrets are colonial nesters, typically placing stick nests high in trees, often on islands that are isolated from mammalian predators such as raccoons.