Great Egret
Great Egret has edged down: down 10% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Great Egret
The Great Egret (Ardea alba) is a North American member of the Herons, Egrets & Bitterns (Ardeidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the wetland birds.
- Size
- 12–51 in long (30–130 cm) — a long-legged wader (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Marshes, ponds, lakeshores and other freshwater wetlands.
- Diet
- Aquatic invertebrates, small fish, frogs and plant matter.
- Range
- Recorded on 1,300 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 47 states, most concentrated in the Southeastern Coastal Plain.
- Family
- Ardeidae · Wetland birds
Notable Great Egret TrendsNotable signalsLong-arc shifts the engine flags automatically — sustained declines or increases large enough to stand out from year-to-year noise.Full methodology →
No notable trend signals for Great Egret. See the full index history below.
Great Egret Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Great Egret is projected to rise about 69% by 2029 — from 0.72 in 2024 to a central estimate of 1.2 (95% range 0.66–1.8). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±69.2%, with 40% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
Where the Great Egret Is Detected
BBS routes recording Great Egret, sized by most recent count.
Great Egret Population Trend by State
Great Egret Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
Great Egret Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it down about 10% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.