Great Egret(Ardea alba)

By Mia Hellman

Great Egrets (Ardea alba) live on the marshes/coast of the Atlantic Ocean (in America). They are in the domain Eukarya, kingdom Animalia, phylum Chordata, class Aves, order Ciconiformes, family Areidae, genus Ardea, and finally, species alba. Great Egrets are about one meter tall, they have “S” shaped necks, they have white feathers, yellow beaks, and dark grey legs. The birds’ prey is fish. The birds’ predators are humans and alligators. A structural adaptations is its long legs (helping it walk across the pluff mud, a functional adaptation is its sharp and long beak to get and devour prey, and lastly, another structural adaptation is its long neck (to bend down and get the prey). An interesting and sad fact about the Great Egret is that its feathers are used for women’s hats. The bird is a heterotrophic  organism and has bilateral symmetry. The Great Egret is also endothermic.  

Photo from: www.allaboutbirds.org