CLIPBOARD : Breeding Bird: SNOWY EGRET (Egretta thula)

Description: A small white heron with black legs and yellow feet, the snowy egret has a slender black bill with yellow loral and backward-curving plumes on the back, neck and head. Nonbreeding plumage is shorter, and bill, legs, feathering and lore are also duller. Immature birds lack plumage and the backs of the legs are yellow-green. Length: 24 inches. Wingspan: 41 inches. Habitat: Shallow coastal marshes, ponds, irrigation ditches; often found in dry agricultural fields. Diet: Fish, shrimps, insects, snails and bivalves. Displays: Territorial display includes crest raising with calls. Nest: Flimsy nest made of twigs, sticks and lined with fine rushes. Male collects materials and female builds nest. Eggs: Light bluish-green; 1.7 inches long. Call: A low croaking sound; within colony, a gurgling wulla-wulla-wulla . Breeding bird atlas: To report bird breeding activity in your neighborhood, or to get information on the breeding bird atlas call Sea and Sage Audubon Society members Sylvia Gallagher, (714) 962-8990, or Nancy Kenyon, (714) 786-3160. Notes: The snowy egret is a winter visitor to the Orange County area. They roost in colonies at night, often moving to and from roosts in flocks. Note: Map is divided into 5-kilometer squares so that Audubon Society volunteers can more easily survey areas on a regular basis. Sources: Sea and Sage Audubon Society; “The Birder’s Handbook,” Ehrlich, Dobkin and Wheye, Fireside Books (1988); “Field Guide to the Birds of North America,” National Geographic Society (1987); “Birds of Southern California: Status and Distribution,” Garrett and Dunn, Los Angeles Audubon Society (1981).