THE REFERENCE MINER EGRET UPDATE

If you see unfamiliar bird names in the list, please refer to the story below to understand the change and why it happened. eBird Mobile should also be updated to the new taxonomy. This includes your My eBird lists, range maps, bar charts, region and hotspot lists, and data entry. As of this point, all eBird data will be reflecting the new taxonomy. We do this update once each year, taking into account the past 12 months of recent taxonomic knowledge on splits, lumps, name changes, and changes in the sequence of the species lists. This may affect the lists of a very small number of users as we implement these over the next few days. All major changes have occurred, and we have only a small number of minor changes yet to make.

THE REFERENCE MINER EGRET UPDATE

“Waterbird Breeding Colonies in the Gulf Plains 2009-2013”, Jaensch, R & Richardson, P.The eBird taxonomy update is essentially COMPLETE.

This latter organisation features the Great Egret in its official symbol. Opposition to this cruel trade was the catalyst for the creation of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) in England and the Audubon Society in America. This devasted the population around the world as both of the adults were killed and the chicks then starved to death. And in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List it is classified as ‘Least Concern’.ĭuring the 19th and early part of the 20th century this species was regularly killed for its breeding plumage which was used in women’s hats. It has also been known as the White Egret, Eastern Great Egret or Great White Egret. There are four subspecies (IOC v12.1) – egretta in the Americas, melanorhynchus in Africa south of the Sahara desert, alba across the old world from Europe to Asia and our modesta from South-east Asia to Australasia.

This species is found all around the world and its range in Australia covers almost the entire continent.

They may even steal prey from other herons. They will move away from wet areas into grassland when there is an opportunity for food. The preferred food of Great Egrets is small to medium fish but they will also take frogs, crustaceans, grasshoppers and even small rodents. These egrets are ready to breed at two years of age. Incubation takes 23-24 days and the chicks fledge at 6-7 weeks, although the young birds are quite aggressive towards each other while in the nest. The colonies are located over water, often in mangrove areas, and surveys of those along the Gulf rivers in 2009-2013 found a total of 32 colonies with Great Egrets breeding in half of them.Ī breeding pair will share the duties of incubation and feeding the young and they normally have 2-3 eggs. Nesting occurs in mixed colonies with other egrets, herons and ibis, and its nest is at the top of the highest trees, along with any Spoonbills. Adult in breeding plumage – note no plumes on the breast as in the Intermediate Egret ( Ardea alba) © David Niland

The reference miner egret