| Reddish egret | |
|---|---|
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| Reddish egret in breeding plumage at Fort Desoto, Florida, US | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Pelecaniformes |
| Family: | Ardeidae |
| Genus: | Egretta |
| Species: | E. rufescens |
| Binomial name | |
| Egretta rufescens (Gmelin, 1789) | |
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Breeding Year-round Nonbreeding | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Thereddish egret (Egretta rufescens) is a medium-sizedheron that is a resident breeder inCentral America, theBahamas, theCaribbean, theGulf Coast of the United States (primarilyTexas), andMexico. The egret is known for its unusual foraging behavior compared to other herons as well as its association with mud flats, its habitat of choice.
In the past, this bird was a victim of theplume trade and is North America's "rarest and least studiedardeid."[3]
The reddish egret wasformally described in 1789 by the German naturalistJohann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition ofCarl Linnaeus'sSystema Naturae. He placed it with the herons, cranes and egrets in thegenusArdea and coined thebinomial nameArdea rufescens.[4] Gmelin based his description on that of the English ornithologistJohn Latham who in 1785 had included the species in his multi-volumeA General Synopsis of Birds.[5] Latham had in turn based his own description on the "L'Aigrette rousse, de la Louisiane" that the French polymathComte de Buffon had described and illustrated in hisHistoire Naturelle des Oiseaux.[6][7] The reddish egret is now placed with 12 other species in the genusEgretta that was introduced in 1817 by the German naturalistJohann Reinhold Forster.[8][9] The genus name comes from theProvençal French word for thelittle egret,aigrettecode: oci promoted to code: oc, a diminutive ofaigroncode: oci promoted to code: oc, "heron". The specific epithetrufescens isLatin meaning "reddish".[10]
Twosubspecies are recognised:[9]
This species reaches 68–82 cm (27–32 in) in length, with a 116–125 cm (46–49 in) wingspan.[11][12] Body mass in this species can range from 364–870 g (0.802–1.918 lb).[13] Among standard linear measurements, the wing chord is 29–34.3 cm (11.4–13.5 in), the tail is 8.8–13 cm (3.5–5.1 in), the bill is 7.3–9.2 cm (2.9–3.6 in) and the tarsus is 11.7–14.7 cm (4.6–5.8 in).[14] It is a medium-sized, long-legged, long-necked heron with a long pointed pinkish bill with a black tip. It is distinctly larger than other co-existing members of the genusEgretta, but smaller than thegreat blue heron andgreat egret. The legs and feet are bluish-black. While the sexes are similar, there are two distinct colormorphs. The adult dark morph has a slate blue body and reddish head and neck with shaggy plumes. The adult white morph has entirely white body plumage. Young birds have a brown body, head, and neck. During mating, the male's plumage stands out in a ruff on its head, neck and back. The bird's usual cry is a low, guttural croak.
The reddish egret is considered one of the most active herons, and is often seen on the move.[3] It stalks its prey (fish,frogs,crustaceans, andinsects) in shallow water, typically near mud flats, while frequently running energetically and using the shadow of its wings to reduce glare on the water once it is in position to spear its prey.[3] Due to its bold, rapacious yet graceful feeding behavior and its typical proximity to mud flats, authorPete Dunne nicknamed the reddish egret "theTyrannosaurus rex of the Flats".[15]: 135
The reddish egret is a resident breeder inCentral America,The Bahamas, theCaribbean, theGulf Coast of the United States, andMexico.[16] Its breeding habitat is tropical swamps. It nests in colonies, often with other herons, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs.[13] These colonies are usually located on coastal islands.[citation needed] InTexas, however, these nests are often built on the ground, sometimes on oyster shell beaches.[11] These birds have raucous courtship displays. They generally involve shaking of the head during the greeting ceremony, followed by chases and circle flights. They also involve raising of the neck, back and crest feathers, accompanied by bill clacking,[13] similar to thetricolored heron (Egretta tricolor).[17]
According to theTexas Parks and Wildlife Department, there are only 1,500 to 2,000 nesting pairs of reddish egrets in the United States—and most of these are in Texas.[11] They are classified as "threatened" in Texas and receive special protection.[11]
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In Florida, reddish egrets may be eaten by some growth stage of invasive snakes likeBurmese pythons,reticulated pythons,Southern African rock pythons,Central African rock pythons,boa constrictors,yellow anacondas,Bolivian anacondas,dark-spotted anacondas, andgreen anacondas.[18]
