Brief introduction of egret

Egret is a medium-sized wading bird, belonging to Egret genus of Egret Family. Its feathers are white, its mouth and feet are black, and its head will produce black feathers during the breeding period. Egrets are 82-98 cm long and weigh about 0.6- 1 kg.

Egrets are widely distributed in temperate regions of the world, including Africa, Europe, Asia and Oceania. They usually inhabit rivers, lakes, rice fields, coasts, estuaries and other swamps in open plains and hilly areas. Egrets like to nest in groups, sometimes there are several or ten pairs of nests on a tree at the same time.

Egrets mainly feed on insects, crustaceans, mollusks, aquatic insects, small fish, frogs, tadpoles and lizards. They move during the day, act cautiously, and fly away when they meet people. Egrets breed once a year, and each nest lays 3-6 eggs. The female is responsible for hatching, and the incubation period is about 25 days. After nesting for about 1 month, the young birds can fly and leave the nest.

The feathers of egrets have high economic value. Ancient orientals like to decorate clothes with them, while westerners like to decorate hats with them. In addition, egrets like to live in groups and are easily killed in large numbers, which leads to a sharp decline in the number of wild egrets and almost extinction. The yellow-billed egret is a first-class protected animal in China.