The Intermediate Egret, also called the Medium Egret, is an all-white Asian bird that feeds in rice fields and shallow wetlands. It is smaller and stockier than a Great Egret, with a shorter neck and bill. It is not regularly found in the United States.
Appearance
- Appearance
- This all-white egret is about 26–28 in (65–72 cm) long. It has black legs, a rounded-looking head, and a shorter, thicker bill than a Great Egret.
- Seasonal forms
- The bill is yellow outside the breeding season and turns black in . Breeding adults also grow fine plumes on the back and breast.
Look-alikes
Great EgretArdea alba
Intermediate Egret is smaller and stockier, with a shorter neck and bill. Its gape line ends around the eye, while a Great Egret's extends behind the eye.
Why they get mixed upBoth are all-white, black-legged egrets with yellow bills outside the breeding season.
Snowy EgretEgretta thula
Snowy Egret is smaller, with a slim black bill and bright yellow feet. Intermediate Egret has black feet and a yellow bill outside the breeding season.
Why they get mixed upBoth can look like medium-sized white egrets in photos.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- rice fields
- marshes
- pond edges
- shallow wetlands
- Range
- It occurs in South, Southeast, and East Asia and is not part of the regular U.S. bird fauna. Northern populations migrate south after breeding.
- Seasonal presence
- It is in warmer parts of Asia and migratory in northern parts of its range.
- Preferred conditions
- It favors shallow freshwater and wet fields, where it can walk slowly while watching for prey.
Behavior
- Diet
- In Japan, it eats loaches, frogs, crayfish, aquatic insects, and other small animals in shallow water and wet fields.
- Activity
- It usually walks slowly and strikes at prey from close range.
Life cycle
- Nest
- In Japan it nests in mixed heron colonies, placing a shallow stick nest in trees, bamboo, or dense shrubs.
- Clutch size
- Japanese studies report 3–5 eggs, most often 4.
- Incubation
- Both parents incubate for about 20–25 days in Japan.
- Fledging
- Young remain in the nest for about 30 days and may still be fed in the colony after leaving it.
Name and classification
- About the name
- Intermediate Egret is also called Medium Egret. Since 2023, the birds once grouped under that name have been divided into separate Asian, African, and Australasian species.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
12 sources
- iNaturalist API: Ardea intermedia
- GBIF Species Match: Ardea intermedia
- 한국의 백로 번식지 — 중백로
- チュウサギ：RL/RDB — 環境省
- 2023 eBird Taxonomy Update
- Cornell Snowy Egret identification
- Cornell Great Egret overview
- iNaturalist 2023 Medium Egret split
- NCBI Ardea intermedia synonyms
- Feeding activity of cattle egrets and intermediate egrets in Korea
- Medium Egret — iNaturalist
- Intermediate Egret — IUCN Red List 2020