Little Egret (Dark Type)
The little egret is a species of small heron in the family Ardeidae. It is a white bird with a slender black beak, long black legs and, in the western race, yellow feet.
As an aquatic bird, it feeds in shallow water and on land, consuming a variety of small creatures.
Feature:
The body length is about 55~65cm. Iris yellow. Mouth slender, black. Feet black, toes yellow-green.
Androgynous. There are two types: white type and dark type. Taiwan is generally white type, and occasionally dark type lost birds. The white type is white all over. The breeding plumage has two slender white feathers on the occiput, thin and fluffy white minnows on the back and chest, and the eyes are pink. The non-breeding occiput, back, and chest have no white feathers and mink feathers, and the eyes turn yellow at first. The dark-colored type is generally dark gray with a few uneven white feathers.
Juveniles have a pale yellow lower bill base, yellowish green feet, and no occipital feathers.
Distributed:
Widely distributed in Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia. It is commonly found in wetland waters from flat land to low altitudes below 600 meters in Taiwan.
Video Source: 小白鷺(暗色型)/Little Egret(Dark type) from Chuenguey Hwang on Youtube ⁄ CC BY
