Friday, March 21, 2014

Eastern Great Egret at Hebbal Lake, Bangalore

Hebbal Lake in north Bangalore is favorite spot for various colorful birds. One of the white heron that can be seen here Eastern Great Egret. They can be distinguished from other white egrets by its very long neck.



This large heron measures about 83 to 103 cms in length. The overall plumage is white and the legs are dark olive-grey or sooty black. When not breeding, the bill and facial skin are yellow and the bill turns mostly black and the facial skin becomes green during breeding.



They prefer shallow water, particularly when flowing, but may be seen on any watered area, including damp grasslands. Great Egrets can be seen alone or in small flocks, often with other egret species.



They usually feed alone. The preferred diet is fist. But they also feed on aquatic insects, molluscs, amphibians, small reptiles, crustaceans and occasionally other small animals.


31 comments:

'Tsuki said...

That is such a gracious bird... Nice posture, very elegant.

Leovi said...

A beautiful heron, exquisite! Pure delicacy! Genial!

Birgitta said...

Beautiful capture!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

I love egrets and never tire of seeing them (we see them on both coasts of the US)...it is good to know they are doing well in India too (We have several different species of egrets here too and yours is even a little bit different from any of those. They are all wonderful.

TexWisGirl said...

ah, yes. just a beauty! :)

Elizabeth at Eiffel Tells said...

The reflections of the natural world have a special charm. I particularly like the proportions of your first image. Enjoy the weekend.

Viera said...

Beautiful nature... Lovely photos...

Lowell said...

These are super pictures of this wonderful bird. We have these white heron here also. Once in a while we get to see them fly off into the air. I'm always amazed at how big their wingspan is.

Thanks for sharing!

Sudhir R said...

Living so close and yet to make a visit. Good shots!

Bhushavali said...

Beautiful shots!!! :)
Bhusha's INDIA TRAVELOGUE

Ileana said...

Elegant birds!

Vineeta Yashsavi said...

Nice...

Ramakrishnan said...

Lovely white heron - we see these herons often whenever we drive by water bodies like lakes,tanks & ponds as well as agricultural fields !

George said...

These are wonderful photos of the Great Heron. I also like the reflections you've captured in the water.

Phil Slade said...

Good to see your photos of the Great White Rajesh. here we genrally only see the Little Egret - same colour but not as impressively large.

Unknown said...

A gorgeous bird. I also like the reflections.

Anonymous said...

Lovely captures.

Adam Jones said...

Really great shots of the Great Egret.

Janet Shaw said...

Lovely Egret!

Kate said...

Egrets are so showy and so beautiful!!

Anni said...

So elegant...
...love the reflections you captured also.

Kenneth Cole Schneider said...

Very pretty bird. Seems rather close in appearance to our Great Egret, though its bill does not turn black during breeding season.

HansHB said...

Lovely serie of bird-photos!

sunshine said...

Great bird.

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

Very elegant bird.

eileeninmd said...

Beautiful Egret and lovely images!

Anonymous said...

This is such a pretty bird, and that first shot is wonderful!

Anonymous said...

Nice shots of a beautiful bird.

Mary Howell Cromer said...

Such an elegant bird and even the roots it is perched on is unique to view

Jen said...

Looks just like the Great Egrets I photographed last weekend. I wonder if they are the same species?

Kalpana said...

Love egrets :)