What's the Difference Between a Heron and an Egret?
By Nick Lund
There are about 10 regular species of herons and egrets in America and they all share the basic description of being birds with long legs and long necks that hunt for fish in shallow water.
But beyond that, how do you tell them apart? How do you know which long-legged, long-necked wading birds are herons, and which ones are egrets? Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret right off the bat: scientifically speaking, there is no difference between a heron and an egret.
Take the Great Blue Heron and the Great Egret, for example. Despite their different names they’re actually closely-related species, both in the genus Ardea. They’re more closely related to each other than, say, the Great Egret is to the Snowy Egret (genus Egretta), or the Great Blue Heron is to the Green Heron (genus Butorides).
So, then, is there something unscientific that separates herons and egrets? Something a little more rule-of-thumb? Yeah, there is: egrets are usually white, and herons are usually not-white.
It’s as simple as that. Early naturalists working to understand the relationships between birds looked at a bunch of white-colored birds fishing in the shallows and figured they were closely related, and called them egrets. They also saw a bunch of not-white birds fishing in the shallows and figured they were related, too.
This is still a helpful rule-of-thumb when trying to identify these birds! If you look out into the marsh and see a long-legged white bird, start thinking about Great Egret, Snowy Egret, or Cattle Egret. If you see a long-legged bird of another color (blue, usually) try Great Blue Heron, Little Blue Heron, or Tricolored Heron.
But, what’s most interesting isn’t really trying to tell the difference between a heron and an egret, it’s understanding how the different groups of birds – some with species called herons and some with egrets – differ from each other. Each genus has its own attributes, often dealing with diet and feeding behavior. Let me break it down.
Species of Herons and Egrets Found in North America
Genus Ardea.
Great Egret and Great Blue Heron. The biggest of our herons and egrets, these birds can grow to 4 feet tall. Both species have a wide distribution across the country, and are usually stand-and-wait predators: standing frozen in one place and watching for an unsuspecting fish (or frog, or rat, or lizard) to appear.
Genus Egretta.
Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron, Little Blue Heron, Reddish Egret. A smaller set of species, found mostly in the southeast or along the Gulf coast. Egretta herons are more active hunters, flushing prey by stalking, running, or shuffling through the shallows.
Genus Bubulcus.
Cattle Egret. This stocky species is a relatively recent transplant from the Old World, expanding their range from Africa to South America in the 1930s and then spreading into the United States in the last 50 years. They’re most often seen in fields, rather than wetlands, especially where cattle are present (go figure).
Genus Butorides.
Genus Butorides. Green Heron. This small, beautiful species is more secretive than other heron or egrets, and hunts for fish from the cover of tree-lined streams or ponds. They’re also famous for occasionally “bait fishing,” dipping a small twig or a live insect into the water to attract a fish.
Genera Nycticorax and Nyctanassa.
Genera Nycticorax and Nyctanassa. Black-crowned Night Heron and Yellow-crowned Night Heron. These two fascinating species emerge at night, as their name implies, to hunt in wetlands, tidal areas, and beaches. They roost during the day hidden – sometimes not so well – in waterside trees.