These are the two most common egrets that visit our area each summer. It’s easy to tell them apart when they are standing next to each other as the Great Egret towers over the smaller Snowy Egret. When they aren’t standing together, the beaks and feet are used to identify them. Heavy yellow beak and black feet equals Great Egret. The Snowy has a thinner black beak and yellow feet. Behavior is also used to help identify which species you are looking at. Great Egrets are stationary hunters that slowly stalk their prey or wait for it to come to them. Snowy Egrets actively pursue fish and invertebrates.
Birds in My Viewfinder 