Here we see a couple of shots of a Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) – one fishing for a mighty morsel in a tidal pool and one flying low over and reflecting nicely off of one of the salinas in Aveiro, Portugal. Although ‘little’ by name this species of egret is not the smallest of the family name, that honour belongs to the cattle egret, which is slightly smaller by a centimetre or two. Note the distinctive black legs, yellow feet and black bill of this bird, they are key features to help with identification against similar looking family members. Overall there are around 10 or 11 recorded species of egret worldwide and I’ve now been fortunate to be able to photograph four of them – the cattle, great, snowy and little egrets. Although my four sightings are all white birds there are a couple of egrets with colourations including black, rusty red and grey combinations. Additionally, during the nesting season egrets can also take on other hues, both in plumage and facial colouration, see Egret King.
