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Reddish egret

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Reddish egret
Reddish egret in breeding plumage at Fort Desoto, Florida, US
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Ardeidae
Genus: Egretta
Species:
E. rufescens
Binomial name
Egretta rufescens
(Gmelin, JF, 1789)
  Breeding
  Year-round
  Nonbreeding

The reddish egret (Egretta rufescens) is a medium-sized heron. It is a resident breeder in Central America, The Bahamas, the Caribbean, the Gulf Coast of the United States, and Mexico.[2] There is post-breeding dispersal to well north of the nesting range. In the past, this bird was a victim of the plume trade.

According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, there are only 1,500 to 2,000 nesting pairs of reddish egrets in the United States — and most of these are in Texas.[3] They are classified as "threatened" in Texas and receive special protection.

Taxonomy

The reddish egret was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the herons, cranes and egrets in the genus Ardea and coined the binomial name Ardea rufescens.[4] Gmelin based his description on that of the English ornithologist John Latham who in 1785 had included the species in his multi-volume A General Synopsis of Birds.[5] Latham had in turn based his own description on the "L'Aigrette rousse, de la Louisiane" that the French polymath Comte de Buffon had described and illustrated in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux.[6][7] The reddish egret is now placed with 12 other species in the genus Egretta that was introduced in 1817 by the German naturalist Johann Reinhold Forster.[8][9] The genus name comes from the Provençal French word for the little egret, aigrette, a diminutive of aigron, "heron". The specific epithet rufescens is Latin meaning "reddish".[10]

Two subspecies are recognised:[9]

  • E. r. rufescens (Gmelin, JF, 1789) – south USA, West Indies and Mexico
  • E. r. dickeyi (Van Rossem, 1926) – Baja California (Mexico)

Description

Adult white morph

This species reaches 68–82 cm (27–32 in) in length, with a 116–125 cm (46–49 in) wingspan.[3][11] Body mass in this species can range from 364–870 g (0.802–1.918 lb).[12] Among standard linear measurements, the wing chord is 29–34.3 cm (11.4–13.5 in), the tail is 8.8–13 cm (3.5–5.1 in), the bill is 7.3–9.2 cm (2.9–3.6 in) and the tarsus is 11.7–14.7 cm (4.6–5.8 in).[13] It is a medium-sized, long-legged, long-necked heron with a long pointed pinkish bill with a black tip. It is distinctly larger than other co-existing members of the genus Egretta, but smaller than the great blue heron and great egret. The legs and feet are bluish-black. While the sexes are similar, there are two distinct color morphs. The adult dark morph has a slate blue body and reddish head and neck with shaggy plumes. The adult white morph has entirely white body plumage. Young birds have a brown body, head, and neck. During mating, the male's plumage stands out in a ruff on its head, neck and back. The bird's usual cry is a low, guttural croak.

Behavior

The reddish egret is considered one of the most active herons, and is often seen on the move. It stalks its prey visually in shallow water far more actively than other herons and egrets, frequently running energetically and using the shadow of its wings to reduce glare on the water once it is in position to spear a fish; the result is a fascinating dance. Due to its bold, rapacious yet graceful feeding behavior, author Pete Dunne nicknamed the reddish egret "the Tyrannosaurus rex of the Flats".[14] It eats fish, frogs, crustaceans, and insects.

Breeding

Reddish egrets' breeding habitat is tropical swamps. It nests in colonies, often with other herons, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. These colonies are usually located on coastal islands. These birds have raucous courtship displays. They generally involve shaking of the head during the greeting ceremony, followed by chases and circle flights. They also involve raising of the neck, back and crest feathers, accompanied by bill clacking, similar to the tricolored heron.

References

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2020). "Egretta rufescens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T22696916A154076472. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22696916A154076472.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Reddish Egret". BirdLife Species Factsheets. BirdLife International. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
  3. ^ a b "Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens)". Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
  4. ^ Gmelin, Johann Friedrich (1789). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1, Part 1 (13th ed.). Lipsiae [Leipzig]: Georg. Emanuel. Beer. p. 628.
  5. ^ Latham, John (1785). A General Synopsis of Birds. Vol. 3, Part 1. London: Printed for Leigh and Sotheby. p. 88, No. 56.
  6. ^ Buffon, Georges-Louis Leclerc de (1780). "L'Aigrette rousse". Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux (in French). Vol. 7. Paris: De l'Imprimerie Royale. p. 378.
  7. ^ Buffon, Georges-Louis Leclerc de; Martinet, François-Nicolas; Daubenton, Edme-Louis; Daubenton, Louis-Jean-Marie (1765–1783). "L'Aigrette rousse, de la Louisiane". Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle. Vol. 10. Paris: De L'Imprimerie Royale. Plate 902.
  8. ^ Forster, T. (1817). A Synoptical Catalogue of British Birds; intended to identify the species mentioned by different names in several catalogues already extant. Forming a book of reference to Observations on British ornithology. London: Nichols, son, and Bentley. p. 59.
  9. ^ a b Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (August 2022). "Ibis, spoonbills, herons, Hamerkop, Shoebill, pelicans". IOC World Bird List Version 12.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  10. ^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 143, 341. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  11. ^ "Reddish Egret". World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Archived from the original on 2018-05-08. Retrieved 2012-03-29.
  12. ^ "Reddish Egret". All About Birds. Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
  13. ^ Lowther, Peter E.; Paul, Richard T. (2002). Poole, A. (ed.). "Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens)". The Birds of North America Online. Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. doi:10.2173/bna.633.
  14. ^ Dunne, Pete (2006). Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion: A Comprehensive Resource for Identifying North American Birds. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 0-618-23648-1.
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