Snowy Egret
Egretta thula

f4 @ 1/4000s, ISO:1000, Nikon D3S w 500mm

\"Snowy Egret,\" Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The snowy egret is a small white heron. It is the American counterpart to the very similar Old World little egret, which has established a foothold in the Bahamas. At one time, the beautiful plumes of the snowy egret were in great demand by market hunters as decorations for women\'s hats. 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.Adults are typically 61 cm (24 in) long and weigh 375 g (0.827 lb) They have a slim black bill and long black legs with yellow feet. The area of the upper bill, in front of the eyes, is yellow but turns red during the breeding season, when the adults also gain recurved plumes on the back, making for a \"shaggy\" effect

Sebastian Inlet State Park, Florida

01/17/2016