Rare Find of the Reddish Egret, We happened across a new bird to add to my list last week, as we walked along the shoreline looking for a different bird at the time. I had no idea what this bird was, but believed it to be in the Heron family.

When I got back home I looked it up right away to find that it is a non breeding Reddish Egret. The species was adversely affected by plume hunting in the United States and extirpated from Florida in early 1900’s (Powell et al. 1989). It was recorded again in Florida in 1937 (Davis 1937, Desmond 1939) and since then has recolonized much of its former range

Dark morph adults are rich grayish blue bodies with vivid pinkish-cinnamon head and neck.

This bird stood patiently as we walked by, it did not seem to mind us at all. We pulled up our chairs that we were carrying and sat for a spell. I did capture some video as well and will show that at a later time.

In the stately and dignified world of herons, Reddish Egrets are the swashbuckling cousins. These big, cinnamon and steely gray birds put on a show as they forage in shallow saltwater. 

Rare Find of the Reddish Egret

by Sandra J