Eastern great egret: Difference between revisions

Eastern great egret
	Breeding plumage in New Zealand
	Non-breeding plumage in Tasmania
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Pelecaniformes
Family:	Ardeidae
Genus:	Ardea
Species:	A. alba
Subspecies:	A. a. modesta
Trinomial name
	Ardea alba modesta; J.E. Gray, 1831
	Yellow: breeding, green: year-round, blue: non-breeding
Synonyms
	Ardea modesta

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The eastern great egret (Ardea alba modesta) is a species of heron from the genus Ardea, usually considered a subspecies of the great egret (A. alba). In New Zealand it is known as the white heron or by its Māori name kōtuku. It was first described by British ornithologist John Edward Gray in 1831.

Taxonomy

This species was originally described as the "pure white heron of India", Ardea modesta, by Gray in 1831,^[1] but was later generally considered a synonym of Ardea alba, by Ellman in 1861 through to the Peters checklist in 1979.^[2]^[3] It was elevated to species status again by Sibley and Monroe in 1990,^[4] and this was supported by a 2005 revision of the herons.^[5] It is still sometimes considered a subspecies of the great egret Ardea alba.^[6]

Description

Measuring 83–103 centimetres (33–41 in) in length and weighing 0.7–1.2 kilograms (1 lb 9 oz – 2 lb 10 oz), the eastern great egret is a large heron with all-white plumage. Its bill is black in the breeding season and yellow at other times,^[7] and its long legs are red or black.^{[citation needed]} The colours of the bare parts of the face change to green during the breeding season.^[7] The breeding plumage is also marked by long neck plumes and a green facial area.^[8] The eastern great egret can be distinguished from other white egrets and herons in Asia and Australia by its very long neck, one and a half times as long as its own body.^[8]

Distribution and habitat

The eastern great egret has a wide distribution throughout Asia and Oceania, with breeding populations in Australia, Bangladesh, China, Nepal, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, New Zealand (in the Waitangiroto Nature Reserve), Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines (Zamboanga), Russia (north-eastern), Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Taiwan.^[9]^[10]

The egret breeds across Australia but only rarely in the southwest of the continent or dry interior.^[11] The largest colonies within Australia are in the Top End and Channel Country, which can number several thousand pairs. Colonies in the southeast of Australia can number several hundred pairs.^[8] The bird is an uncommon autumn and winter visitor to Tasmania.^[12]

Behaviour

Hunting at Hyde Park, Western Australia

Feeding

The diet includes vertebrates such as fish, frogs, small reptiles, small birds and rodents, and invertebrates such as insects, crustaceans, and molluscs. The eastern great egret hunts by wading or standing still in shallow water and "spearing" prey with its bill.^[8]

Breeding

The eastern great egret often breeds in colonies with other herons, egrets, cormorants, spoonbills and ibises. One brood is raised a year, although the breeding season varies within Australia. In the north of the country it is in March to May, in southern and central Queensland December and January, and October to December in the south. Located atop trees at a height of 20 metres (66 ft) or more, the nest is a flat wide platform of dry branches and sticks with a shallow basin for eggs and young. The clutch consists of anywhere from two to six pale blue-green eggs, with three or four being the usual number. They are oval in shape and measure 52 by 36 millimetres (2 in × 1+3⁄8 in).^[11]

Status

The subspecies is protected in Australia under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. In New Zealand the white heron is highly endangered, with only one breeding site at Waitangiroto Nature Reserve in Whataroa. In 2023, there were 56 pairs of kōtuku nesting in the reserve, an increase compared with recent years. The increase was attributed mainly to the effects of predator control around the reserve.^[13] The kōtuku shares this site with the kōtuku ngutupapa, or Royal spoonbill. When Queen Elizabeth II visited New Zealand in 1953 to 1954, she was compared to the kōtuku—a compliment to rare, distinguished visitors.^[14] The egret is featured on the reverse side of a New Zealand $2 coin.

Images

Flock at Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Non-breeding plumage in Japan
Extended neck of an egret
In flight at Lake Monger, Perth, Western Australia
Non-breeding plumage in Thailand
At Waikanae lagoon, New Zealand

References

^ Gray, John Edward (1831). The Zoological Miscellany. London: Published by Treuttel, Wurtz and Co., G.B. Sowerby, W. Wood. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.113722.
^ Ellman, J. B. (1861). "Brief Notes on the Birds of New Zealand". The Zoologist: A Monthly Journal of Natural History. 19: 7469.
^ Ardea alba modesta J.E. Gray; Payne 1979, in Peters Check-list Birds World 1 (2nd edition): 204.
^ Sibley, Charles G.; Monroe, Burt L. (1990). Distribution and taxonomy of birds of the world. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-04969-2. OCLC 23248877.
^ Kushlan, James A.; Hancock, James A. (2005). The Herons. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 104. ISBN 0-19-854981-4. OCLC 54913407.
^ Scofield, R. Paul; Medway, D. G.; Chambers, Geoff K.; Gill, Brian James; Bell, Ben D.; Palma, Ricardo L.; Tennyson, Alan J. D.; Worthy, Trevor H. (2010). Checklist of the birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica. Wellington: Te Papa Press. pp. 157–158. ISBN 978-1-877385-59-9.
^ ^a ^b Kōtuku, the white heron
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Ardea modesta - Eastern Great Egret". Species Profile and Threats Database. Canberra: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Commonwealth of Australia. February 12, 2010. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
^ "HeronConservation » Eastern Great Egret".
^ "Visitor impacts on freshwater avifauna in New Zealand" (PDF).
^ ^a ^b Beruldsen, Gordon (2003). Australian Birds: Their Nests and Eggs. Kenmore Hills, Qld: self. p. 184. ISBN 0-646-42798-9.
^ Watts, Dave (2006) [1999]. Field Guide to Tasmanian Birds (2nd ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: New Holland Press. p. 48. ISBN 1-876334-60-6.
^ "Nesting season looks promising for critically endangered kōtuku". RNZ. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
^ Andrea Graves (May–June 2017). "Kōtuku: The story of the bird on our $2 coin". New Zealand Geographic. No. 145. Retrieved May 8, 2020.

External links

Seven Sharp profile of the kōtuku breeding colony, Westland, New Zealand 9 October 2023

[1] Gray, John Edward (1831). The Zoological Miscellany. London: Published by Treuttel, Wurtz and Co., G.B. Sowerby, W. Wood. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.113722.

[2] Ellman, J. B. (1861). "Brief Notes on the Birds of New Zealand". The Zoologist: A Monthly Journal of Natural History. 19: 7469.

[3] Ardea alba modesta J.E. Gray; Payne 1979, in Peters Check-list Birds World 1 (2nd edition): 204.

[4] Sibley, Charles G.; Monroe, Burt L. (1990). Distribution and taxonomy of birds of the world. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-04969-2. OCLC 23248877.

[5] Kushlan, James A.; Hancock, James A. (2005). The Herons. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 104. ISBN 0-19-854981-4. OCLC 54913407.

[6] Scofield, R. Paul; Medway, D. G.; Chambers, Geoff K.; Gill, Brian James; Bell, Ben D.; Palma, Ricardo L.; Tennyson, Alan J. D.; Worthy, Trevor H. (2010). Checklist of the birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica. Wellington: Te Papa Press. pp. 157–158. ISBN 978-1-877385-59-9.

[Kotuku-7] Kōtuku, the white heron

[env-8] "Ardea modesta - Eastern Great Egret". Species Profile and Threats Database. Canberra: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Commonwealth of Australia. February 12, 2010. Retrieved June 11, 2010.

[9] "HeronConservation » Eastern Great Egret".

[10] "Visitor impacts on freshwater avifauna in New Zealand" (PDF).

[Ber03-11] Beruldsen, Gordon (2003). Australian Birds: Their Nests and Eggs. Kenmore Hills, Qld: self. p. 184. ISBN 0-646-42798-9.

[watts-12] Watts, Dave (2006) [1999]. Field Guide to Tasmanian Birds (2nd ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: New Holland Press. p. 48. ISBN 1-876334-60-6.

[13] "Nesting season looks promising for critically endangered kōtuku". RNZ. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.

[NZGeo-14] Andrea Graves (May–June 2017). "Kōtuku: The story of the bird on our $2 coin". New Zealand Geographic. No. 145. Retrieved May 8, 2020.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Subspecies of bird}}
-{{subspeciesbox
+{{Subspeciesbox
-| image = Ardea modesta.jpg
+| image2 = Ardea modesta.jpg
-| image_caption = Non-breeding plumage in [[Tasmania]]
+| image2_caption = Non-breeding plumage in [[Tasmania]]
-| image2 = Kotuku · Rina Sjardin-Thompson WCSW.jpg
+| image = Kotuku · Rina Sjardin-Thompson WCSW.jpg
-| image2_caption = Breeding plumage in [[New Zealand]]
+| image_caption = Breeding plumage in [[New Zealand]]
 | status =
 | status_system =
@@ Line 13: / Line 14: @@
 | synonyms = ''Ardea modesta''
 | range_map = Ardea modesta map.svg
-| range_map_caption = Yellow: breeding, green: year-round, blue: nonbreeding
+| range_map_caption = Yellow: breeding, green: year-round, blue: non-breeding
 }}
-The '''eastern great egret''' (''Ardea alba modesta''), a white [[heron]] in the genus ''[[Ardea (genus)|Ardea]]'', is usually considered a subspecies of the [[great egret]] (''A. alba'').  It was first described by British ornithologist [[John Edward Gray]] in 1831.<ref name=env/>
+The '''eastern great egret''' ('''''Ardea alba modesta''''') is a [[species]] of [[heron]] from the genus ''[[Ardea (genus)|Ardea]]'', usually considered a [[subspecies]] of the [[great egret]] (''A. alba''). In [[New Zealand]] it is known as the '''white heron''' or by its [[Māori language|Māori]] name '''''kōtuku'''''. It was first described by British ornithologist [[John Edward Gray]] in 1831.
 ==Taxonomy==
+This species was originally described as the "pure white heron of India", ''Ardea modesta'', by Gray in 1831,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gray|first=John Edward|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/113722|title=The Zoological Miscellany|date=1831|publisher=Published by Treuttel, Wurtz and Co., G.B. Sowerby, W. Wood|location=London|doi=10.5962/bhl.title.113722}}</ref> but was later generally considered a [[Synonym (taxonomy)|synonym]] of ''Ardea alba'', by Ellman in 1861 through to the Peters checklist in 1979.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ellman |first=J. B. |year=1861 |title=Brief Notes on the Birds of New Zealand |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/90004 |journal=The Zoologist: A Monthly Journal of Natural History |volume=19 |pages=7469}}</ref><ref>''Ardea alba modesta'' J.E. Gray; Payne 1979, in ''Peters Check-list Birds World 1'' (2nd edition): 204.</ref> It was elevated to species status again by Sibley and Monroe in 1990,<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Sibley|first1=Charles G.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/23248877|title=Distribution and taxonomy of birds of the world|last2=Monroe|first2=Burt L.|date=1990|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=0-300-04969-2|location=New Haven|oclc=23248877}}</ref> and this was supported by a 2005 revision of the herons.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Kushlan|first1=James A.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/54913407|title=The Herons|last2=Hancock|first2=James A.|date=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=0-19-854981-4|location=Oxford|pages=104|oclc=54913407}}</ref> It is still sometimes considered a subspecies of the great egret ''Ardea alba.''<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Scofield|first1=R. Paul|url=https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q59440579|title=Checklist of the birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica|last2=Medway|first2=D. G.|last3=Chambers|first3=Geoff K.|last4=Gill|first4=Brian James|last5=Bell|first5=Ben D.|last6=Palma|first6=Ricardo L.|last7=Tennyson|first7=Alan J. D.|last8=Worthy|first8=Trevor H.|publisher=Te Papa Press|year=2010|isbn=978-1-877385-59-9|location=Wellington|pages=157–158}}</ref>
-Although a study argued for full species status in 2005,<ref name=env>{{cite web|url=http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=1004 | title=''Ardea modesta'' - Eastern Great Egret|work=Species Profile and Threats Database|date=February 12, 2010 |publisher=Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Commonwealth of Australia |location=Canberra|accessdate=June 11, 2010}}</ref> most taxonomists consider it to be a subspecies.
 ==Description==
-Measuring 83–103&nbsp;cm (33–41&nbsp;in) in length and weighing 0.7–1.2&nbsp;kg (1.5–2.6&nbsp;lb), the eastern great egret is a large heron with all-white plumage. Its bill is black in the breeding season and yellow at other times,<ref name=Kotuku/> and its long legs are red or black.{{citation needed|date=January 2016}} The colours of the bare parts of the face change to green during the breeding season.<ref name=Kotuku/> The [[Bird#Breeding|breeding]] plumage is also marked by long neck plumes and a green facial area.<ref name=env/> The eastern great egret can be distinguished from other white [[egret]]s and herons in Asia and Australia by its very long neck, one and a half times as long as its own body.<ref name=env/>
+Measuring {{convert|83–103|cm|in|0}} in length and weighing {{convert|0.7–1.2|kg|lboz}}, the eastern great egret is a large heron with all-white plumage. Its bill is black in the breeding season and yellow at other times,<ref name="Kotuku">[http://www.nzbirds.com/birds/kotuku.html Kōtuku, the white heron]</ref> and its long legs are red or black.{{citation needed|date=January 2016}} The colours of the bare parts of the face change to green during the breeding season.<ref name=Kotuku/> The [[Bird#Breeding|breeding]] plumage is also marked by long neck plumes and a green facial area.<ref name="env">{{cite web|date=February 12, 2010|title=''Ardea modesta'' - Eastern Great Egret|url=http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=1004|access-date=June 11, 2010|work=Species Profile and Threats Database|publisher=Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Commonwealth of Australia|location=Canberra}}</ref> The eastern great egret can be distinguished from other white [[egret]]s and herons in Asia and Australia by its very long neck, one and a half times as long as its own body.<ref name=env/>
+[[File:Eastern great egret WikiPedia.jpg|thumb|Eastern great egret, non-breeding plumage]]
-==Range and habitat==
+==Distribution and habitat==
-The eastern great egret has a wide distribution throughout Asia and Oceania, with breeding populations in [[Australia]], [[Bangladesh]], [[China]], [[Nepal]], [[India]], [[Indochina]], [[Indonesia]], [[Japan]], [[Korea]], [[Myanmar]], [[New Zealand]], [[Pakistan]], [[Papua New Guinea]], [[Russia]] (north-eastern), [[Solomon Islands]], [[Sri Lanka]] and [[Thailand]]. The egret breeds across Australia but only rarely in the southwest of the continent or dry interior.<ref name=Ber03>{{cite book  | last = Beruldsen  | first = Gordon  | title = Australian Birds: Their Nests and Eggs  | publisher = self  | year = 2003  | location = Kenmore Hills, Qld  | page = 184 | isbn = 0-646-42798-9}}</ref> The largest colonies within Australia are in the [[Top End]] and [[Channel Country]], which can number several thousand pairs. Colonies in the southeast of Australia can number several hundred pairs.<ref name=env/> The bird is an uncommon autumn and winter visitor to [[Tasmania]].<ref name="watts">{{cite book|last=Watts|first=Dave|title=Field Guide to Tasmanian Birds|publisher=New Holland Press|location=Frenchs Forest, NSW|year=2006|origyear=1999|edition=2nd|page=48|isbn=1-876334-60-6}}</ref>
+The eastern great egret has a wide distribution throughout Asia and Oceania, with breeding populations in [[Australia]], [[Bangladesh]], [[China]], [[Nepal]], [[India]], [[Indochina]], [[Indonesia]], [[Japan]], [[Korea]], [[Myanmar]], [[New Zealand]] (in the [[Waitangiroto Nature Reserve]]), [[Pakistan]], [[Papua New Guinea]], [[Philippines]] (Zamboanga), [[Russia]] (north-eastern), [[Solomon Islands]], [[Sri Lanka]], [[Thailand]] and [[Taiwan]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.heronconservation.org/herons-of-the-world/list-of-herons/eastern-great-egret/ | title=HeronConservation » Eastern Great Egret }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Visitor impacts on freshwater avifauna in New Zealand |url=https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/science-and-technical/casn240.pdf}}</ref>
+The egret breeds across Australia but only rarely in the southwest of the continent or dry interior.<ref name="Ber03">{{cite book  | last = Beruldsen  | first = Gordon  | title = Australian Birds: Their Nests and Eggs  | publisher = self  | year = 2003  | location = Kenmore Hills, Qld  | page = 184 | isbn = 0-646-42798-9}}</ref> The largest colonies within Australia are in the [[Top End]] and [[Channel Country]], which can number several thousand pairs. Colonies in the southeast of Australia can number several hundred pairs.<ref name="env" /> The bird is an uncommon autumn and winter visitor to [[Tasmania]].<ref name="watts">{{cite book|last=Watts|first=Dave|title=Field Guide to Tasmanian Birds|publisher=New Holland Press|location=Frenchs Forest, NSW|year=2006|orig-year=1999|edition=2nd|page=48|isbn=1-876334-60-6}}</ref>
 ==Behaviour==
@@ Line 34: / Line 38: @@
 ===Breeding===
-The eastern great egret often breeds in colonies with other herons, egrets, [[cormorants]], [[spoonbills]] and [[ibises]]. One brood is raised a year, although the breeding season varies within Australia. In the north of the country it is in March to May, in southern and central Queensland December and January, and October to December in the south. Located atop trees at a height of 20&nbsp;m (60&nbsp;ft) or more, the nest is a flat wide platform of dry branches and sticks with a shallow basin for eggs and young. The clutch consists of anywhere from two to six pale blue-green eggs, with three or four being the usual number. They are oval in shape and measure 52 x 36&nbsp;mm.<ref name=Ber03/>
+The eastern great egret often breeds in colonies with other herons, egrets, [[cormorants]], [[spoonbills]] and [[ibises]]. One brood is raised a year, although the breeding season varies within Australia. In the north of the country it is in March to May, in southern and central Queensland December and January, and October to December in the south. Located atop trees at a height of {{convert|20|m|ft|0}} or more, the nest is a flat wide platform of dry branches and sticks with a shallow basin for eggs and young. The clutch consists of anywhere from two to six pale blue-green eggs, with three or four being the usual number. They are oval in shape and measure {{convert|52 x 36|mm|in|frac=8}}.<ref name=Ber03/>
 ==Status==
-The subspecies is protected in [[Australia]] under the [[National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974]].  In [[New Zealand]], where it is known by its [[Māori language|Māori]] name '''''kōtuku''''', the eastern great egret is highly endangered, with only one breeding site at [[Okarito Lagoon]].<ref name=Kotuku>[http://www.nzbirds.com/birds/kotuku.html Kōtuku, the white heron]</ref><ref>[http://www.wellingtonzoo.com/animals/animals/natives/kotuku.html Native Fact sheet, Kotuku] Wellington Zoo  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080811223116/http://www.wellingtonzoo.com/animals/animals/natives/kotuku.html |date=August 11, 2008 }}</ref>   It shares this site with the [[:mi:Kōtuku ngutupapa|Kōtuku ngutupapa]], or [[Royal spoonbill]]. When H.M. Queen Elizabeth II visited New Zealand in 1953-54, she was compared to the kōtuku—a compliment to rare, distinguished visitors.<ref name="NZGeo">{{Cite news | url = https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/kotuku/ | title = Kōtuku: The story of the bird on our $2 coin | author = Andrea Graves | accessdate =May 8, 2020 |work=New Zealand Geographic n.145 | date = May-June 2017 }}</ref> The kōtuku is featured on the reverse side of a [[Coins of the New Zealand dollar|New Zealand $2 coin]].
+The subspecies is protected in [[Australia]] under the [[National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974]]. In [[New Zealand]] the white heron is highly endangered, with only one breeding site at [[Waitangiroto Nature Reserve]] in [[Whataroa]]. In 2023, there were 56 pairs of kōtuku nesting in the reserve, an increase compared with recent years. The increase was attributed mainly to the effects of predator control around the reserve.<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 November 2023 |title=Nesting season looks promising for critically endangered kōtuku |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/501935/nesting-season-looks-promising-for-critically-endangered-kotuku |access-date=8 November 2023 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz}}</ref> The ''kōtuku'' shares this site with the ''kōtuku ngutupapa'', or [[Royal spoonbill]]. When [[Queen Elizabeth II]] visited New Zealand in 1953 to 1954, she was compared to the ''kōtuku''—a compliment to rare, distinguished visitors.<ref name="NZGeo">{{Cite news | url = https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/kotuku/ | title = Kōtuku: The story of the bird on our $2 coin | author = Andrea Graves | access-date =May 8, 2020 |work=New Zealand Geographic |issue=145 | date = May–June 2017 }}</ref> The egret is featured on the reverse side of a [[Coins of the New Zealand dollar|New Zealand $2 coin]].
 ==Images==
@@ Line 46: / Line 50: @@
 File:Great Egret in Flight.jpg|In flight at [[Lake Monger]], [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]], Western Australia
 File:Ardea alba modesta Phuket Thailand.jpg|Non-breeding plumage in [[Thailand]]
+File:A White Heron in the Waters of the Waikanae Lagoon.jpg|At Waikanae lagoon, New Zealand
 </gallery>
@@ Line 53: / Line 58: @@
 ==External links==
 {{Commons category|Ardea alba modesta|Eastern great egret}}
+* ''[[Seven Sharp]]'' profile of the kōtuku breeding colony, Westland, New Zealand [https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/seven-sharp/clips/the-kotuku-bird-returns 9 October 2023]
 {{Taxonbar|from=Q1207168}}
-{{DEFAULTSORT:egret, eastern, great}}
 [[Category:Herons]]
 [[Category:Ardea (genus)|eastern great egret]]
-[[Category:Birds of South Asia]]
-[[Category:Birds of Southeast Asia]]
-[[Category:Birds of Oceania]]
-[[Category:Birds described in 1831|eastern great egret]]
 [[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
-[[Category:Birds of Nepal]]
+[[Category:Birds described in 1831|eastern great egret]]
+[[Category:Birds of Indomalaya]]
+[[Category:Birds of Oceania]]
+[[Category:Taxa named by John Edward Gray|eastern great egret]]