Great Egret

Scientific name

Ardea alba

about the species

Great Egret, along with the native snowy egret and nonnative cattle egret, can be found all throughout the Saint Louis area and are all heron species. ‘Egret’ is a reference to their plumes, called aigrettes, which was historically used in women’s fashion and a cause in their decline. Be on the lookout, Great Egret and other heron species form colonies every year in Saint Louis and which is quite the spectacle to see.

conservation status

Least concern. Common in Missouri.

How we’re studying this species

We are documenting where Great Egrets can be found in Forest Park. We plan to attach GPS trackers to Great Egrets in the future. Great Egrets are a species of interest in our waterbird community ecology study.