Egrets? I've Had A Few Trivia Quiz

Answer: Snowy egret

Egrets are white or buff-colored herons. Intermediate in size between the smaller cattle egret and the larger great egret, the snowy egret is easy to identify if you spot its bright yellow "Snowsy Toesies", as I like to call them. It is believed that the snowy egret employs the bold yellow color as bait to lure prey, who mistake the golden toes for a tasty treat.

The great white heron, which many believe to be a subspecies of the great blue heron, is seen almost exclusively in south Florida and the Florida Keys.

Answer: Great egret

The great egret, also known as the common egret or large egret, is notably larger than the snowy egret and the cattle egret, and it is slightly larger than the reddish egret. The great egret can, however, easily be distinguished from the white morph reddish egret by its orange-yellow bill, as the reddish egret has a two-toned bill, pink with a black tip.

The lunch that this Great egret is savoring appears to be a small snake.

Answer: Great blue heron

The great blue heron is the largest heron native to North America. Its blue-grey color is much greyer than that of the much bluer (and smaller) little blue heron. There is a bird called the grey heron, but it is not native to North America but, rather, to Europe, Asia, and Africa. (I made up the "great blue-grey heron"; to the best of my knowledge, there is no actual bird by that name.)

Answer: Tricolored heron

The lovely and graceful tricolored heron is similar in size and color to the little blue heron, but its white belly and white neck stripe are a giveaway. Night herons are shorter-legged, shorter-necked, and stockier, as are green herons.

Answer: Yellow-crowned night heron

This yellow-crowned night heron, distinguishable from the black-crowned night heron by its pale-yellow crown, may be just drying its wings, but it sure seemed to us to be preaching! If anyone has any insight into this unusual behavior, please let me know!

Answer: Reddish egret

The reddish egret, slightly smaller than the great egret, can be recognized in its usual form by its russet-toned feathers and its pink-and-black bill. It does have a rarer, white morph, but the bill is the same: pink with a black tip. While other egrets and herons can often be found in fresh-water habitats, the reddish egret prefers salty or brackish water. Having been, in the past, much hunted for its plumes, the reddish egret is, in 2021, classified as "near threatened".

Answer: Black-crowned night heron

The black-crowned night heron, unlike the yellow-crowned night heron, has a black crown, although they may both have a pale yellow plume. Its black crown contrasts with its pale breast and belly, and it frequently pulls its neck in, giving it a "hunchbacked" posture.

Answer: Little blue heron

Notably smaller and bluer than the great blue heron, and having a black-tipped blue bill, the little blue heron is easier to identify in its adult form than in its juvenile form. However, a trained birder will note the black-tipped bill and pale-green legs of the juvenile little blue.

Answer: Cattle egret

If I'd mentioned that the company was bovine, I would have made it too easy! Cattle egrets are called cattle egrets because they like to hang out with (and often on top of) cattle. The egrets and their bovine buddies enjoy a symbiotic relationship: the cattle egrets groom the cattle, eating the fleas and ticks from the cattle's hide; in the process of acquiring food, the cattle egrets help to protect the cattle from diseases caused by the fleas and ticks, resulting in what is truly a win-win situation!

Answer: Green heron

The green heron exhibits a posture similar to bitterns and is often confused with the least bittern. The green heron, however, is about the size of a crow, while the smaller least bittern is closer to the size of a jay. The adult green heron also, as its name indicates, has a dark green back, unlike the tanner-colored Least bittern.

The American bittern, a similar species, is larger than the green heron and also lacks the green coloring of an adult green heron.