Great Egret (Ardea Alba) Francesca J

Great Egret (Ardea alba) Francesca J. Cuthbert

Kensington Metro Park, Oakland Co., MI 5/2/2009 © Jim Ridley (Click to view a comparison of Atlas I to II)

According to A.C. Bent (1926), the Florida (Lake St. Clair). These colonies appear to have persisted into the mid-1970s when W. Scharf et plume hunters called the Great Egret the “long al. (1978) documented egrets at these sites in white;” “as it springs into flight with neck and 1976. Although these colonies were no longer legs extended, and flaps majestically away on its active at the time of the 1989-91 Great Lakes broad white wings, it seems to be the longest, Colonial Waterbird Census, Sharf and Shugart the slenderest, and the most ethereal of the (1998) reported new colonies in Saginaw Bay herons.” Today, the Great Egret is a powerful and at Pte. Mouillee, Monroe Co. MBBA I symbol of early conservation efforts that were confirmed breeding in six townships, all in the mounted to safeguard it and other species from SLP. At the time of MBBA II, observations overhunting for their feathers in the 1800s. clearly demonstrate that the distribution of Protection in the early 1900s is credited with breeding Great Egrets is still concentrated in the population recovery and establishment of the SLP, especially southeastern and southwestern Great Egret as a breeding species in Michigan Michigan. For example, confirmed breeding approximately 50 years ago. This cosmopolitan increased from five to nine townships between species now breeds locally in the U.S. north to the two atlas survey periods. However, results the Canadian border, and winters primarily in from MBBA II also document that this species the southern states and along the Pacific Coast has recently expanded north in the state as Great as far north as Oregon (McCrimmon et al. Egrets were confirmed breeding in four 2001). townships in the NLP and two in the UP. In

contrast, during the MBBA I period, there were Distribution no confirmed breeding records in either the NLP Great Egrets reach the northern edge of their or the UP. The Great Egret is a colonial nester U.S. distribution in Michigan. Historically, there with colony size ranging from a few pairs to is no evidence that this species nested in more than 100 nests. In Michigan, egrets Michigan until the 1950s. For example, Barrows typically nest on forested islands, or at forested (1912) and Wood (1951) did not report Great inland sites, and often co-occur with Great Blue Egrets as breeders in Michigan at the time of Herons or Double-crested Cormorants. Black- their studies, but Kelley et al. (1963) confirmed crowned Night-Herons may be present in the nesting in 1954 by nine pairs on Stoney Island lower canopy. (Detroit River) and seven on Dickinson Island

Breeding Biology pairs at four sites in Lake Huron and two on Spring arrival of Great Egrets to Michigan Lake Michigan (Cuthbert unpublished data). begins in late March but the peak return is in Estimates for inland colonies are not available. April. Clutches of 3-4 eggs are laid in early to mid-May. Nests are platforms constructed of Conservation Needs sticks and twigs located on or near the top of Although once close to extirpation in the U.S., trees or woody vegetation; height of nest above the Great Egret has recovered to historical ground is variable and occasionally birds nest numbers and expanded its range (McCrimmon on the ground (McKrimmon et al. 2001). The 2001). However, this species remains vulnerable incubation period is approximately 26 days, and to a number of threats such as contaminants, nestlings are able to fly at about 51 days of age wetland loss, destruction of nest trees to (McKrimmon et al 2001). Egrets forage in development and shooting at aquaculture ponds shallow water, often coastal wetlands. Their diet and fish hatcheries (McCrimmon 2001). Great is variable and includes fish, invertebrates, Egrets nest inland in Michigan but may prefer amphibians and occasionally small mammals Great Lakes islands where predation by (McKrimmon et al 2001). Post-breeding, mammals (e.g. raccoons) and other disturbance individuals disperse widely, likely accounting is minimized. Because colony sites are few in for many reports of Great Egrets throughout number, they should be protected from habitat Michigan in the fall. loss and human intrusion.

Abundance and Population Trends Historical records do not provide evidence of Literature Cited breeding by this species in Michigan until after the 1940s. Various reports (Scharf et al. 1998; Barrows, W.B. 1912. Michigan Birdlife. East Cuthbert unpubl. data; Brewer et al. 1991) Lansing, Michigan Agricultural College indicate an increase in number of nesting birds Special Bulletin. since at least the mid 1970s through MBBA II. Bent, A.C. 1926. Life Histories of North For example, townships with confirmed American Marsh Birds. U.S. Natl. Mus. breeding increased from six to 15 between Bull. 135. MBBA I and II and townships with possible Brewer, R, GA McPeek, and RJ Adams Jr. nesting increased from 41 to 91 in the same time 1991. The Atlas of Breeding Birds of period. Additional evidence of a growing Michigan. Michigan State University Press. population is provided by the decadal Great East Lansing, MI. Lakes Colonial Waterbird Census. In the period Cuthbert, F.J., J. McKearnan, L.R. Wires, and 1989-1991 Scharf and Shugart (1998) reported A. Joshi. 2003. Distribution and abundance egret colonies at five coastal sites and estimated of colonial waterbirds in the US Great 47 pairs at four sites plus 25-50 at Pte. Mouillee. Lakes: 1997-1999. Draft report submitted to A single pair was found in Alpena Co. on Gull USFWS, Ft. Snelling, MN. Island. During the third Great Lakes Colonial Kelley, A.H., D.S. Middleton and W.P. Nickel. Waterbird Census in 1997-99, Cuthbert et al. 1963. Birds of the Detroit Windsor Area: A (2003) estimated 377 pairs of egrets nesting at 10 Year Survey. Cranbrook Institute of only two coastal sites in Michigan, Little Science. Bull 45. Bloomfield Hills, MI Charity Island and the Confined Disposal p119. Facility, both in Saginaw Bay. Data from the fourth Great Lakes Census (2007-09) showed that coastal nesting egrets increased to over 500

McCrimmon, D.A. Jr., J.C. Ogden, and G.T. Bancroft. 2001. Great Egret (Ardea alba), In The Birds of North Americ, No. 570 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North American, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. Scharf, W.C., G.W. Shugart and M.L. Chamberlain. 1978. Colonial birds nesting on man-made and natural sites in the US Great Lakes. Technical report D-78-10, U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station. Vicksburg, Mississippi. Scharf, W.C. and G.W. Shugart. 1998. Distribution and abundance of tree-nesting heron and marsh-nesting tern colonies of the U.S. Great Lakes, 1989-1991. (W.W. Bowerman and A.S. Roe, Eds.) Publication No. 2, Gale Gleason Environmental Institute, Lake Superior State University Press, Sault Ste. Marie, MI. Wood, N.A. 1951. The Birds of Michigan. Ann Arbor, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Miscellaneous Publication No. 75.

Suggested Citation

Cuthbert, F.J. 2010. Great Egret (Ardea alba). In Chartier, A.T., J.J. Baldy, and J.M. Brenneman (eds.). 2010. The Second Michigan Breeding Bird Atlas. Kalamazoo Nature Center. Kalamazoo, MI. Accessed online at: .