A snowy egret forages on the El Zonte beach, in El Salvador. The snowy egret (Egretta thula) is a small white heron. The snowy egret is the American counterpart to the very similar Old World little egret, which has become established in the Bahamas. At one time, the plumes of the snowy egret were in great demand as decorations for women's hats. They were hunted for these plumes and this reduced the population of the species to dangerously low levels. Now protected in the United States by law, under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, this bird's population has rebounded. The snowy egret is native to North, Central and South America. It is present all year round in South America, ranging as far south as Chile and Argentina. It is found in wetlands of many types marshes, riverbanks, lakesides, pools, salt marshes and estuaries. It is not found at high altitudes nor generally on the coast. The snowy egret has occurred as a vagrant in Europe, in Iceland, Scotland and the Azores. The birds eat fish, crustaceans such as crabs, shrimp and crayfish, insects, small reptiles such as lizards and snakes, snails, frogs, toads and worms especially earthworms and other annelids. They stalk prey in shallow water, often running or shuffling their feet, flushing prey into view by swaying their heads, flicking their wings or vibrating their bills. They may also hover, or "dip-fish" by flying with their feet just above the water surface. Snowy egrets may also stand still and wait to ambush prey, or hunt for insects stirred up by domestic animals in open fields. They sometimes forage in mixed species groups. Fossils of the snowy egret have been reported from the Talara tar seeps of Peru and in Bradenton in Manatee County and Haile XIB in Alachua County in Florida, United States. The deposits were dated to the Late Pleistocene.

圖片編號： 342992763
拍攝者： Cduartefoto