This Great Egret was spotted in the pond in front of Northland Arboretum on Sept. 24, 2018.
Hunted nearly to extinction for it's showy breeding plumes called 'aigrettes' - which were used to decorate ladies hats in the late 1800's - the population of Great Egrets has rebounded in Minnesota and nationwide. The Great Egret is the symbol of the National Audubon Society. The society was founded to protect birds from being killed for their feathers.
According to the Minnesota Breeding Bird Atlas, the Great Egret is a regular breeding resident and migrant (Minnesota is on the northern periphery of the egret’s breeding range.) and occasionally a late migrant will linger in the state through the early winter months.
The Breeding Bird Atlas informs us that the Great Egret commonly dines on "small fish, aquatic invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, small mammals, and birds."
Their nest is usually a stick platform on tall trees or shrubs, but occasionally they will nest on the ground.
