Snowy Egret
Bird 1 of 5
Yay, for finding me!
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I’m a non-migratory bird native to the San Lorenzo riverbed.
Guess why I have such yellow feet? I shuffle through mud and plants in shallow water, and their brightness might lure in my favorite foods: fish, insects, frogs and other aquatic life. You’ll usually find me striding or standing in water, or perched nearby. I'm a medium-sized (guess what color?) white heron. In the late 1800s my plumes were prized in the fashion industry, along with those of many other birds, who were hunted by the millions. Thankfully that doesn’t happen anymore. (The Migratory Bird Treaty Act was created to protect birds in the early 1900s). When it is time to lay eggs each year, we build our nests near each other in trees, in large groups called rookeries. I love to take care of my babies after they hatch.
Snowy Egrets have been rescued two times in the past 5 years by the Native Animal Rescue!
Listen to my squawk.
Photographer credit: Kevin Lohman
Keep questing and find the other birds!
(Red-Tailed Hawk, Bewick’s Wren, Black Phoebe, Lesser Goldfinch)
Thank you to the Santa Cruz Arts Council, The Tannery Art Complex, Radius Gallery, Santa Cruz Bird Club, Native Animal Rescue (Lisa Rose), Lorrie Klosterman (Animals and Plants of Monterey Bay: Santa Cruz Shoreline, author), The Bird School Project (Kevin Condon) for making this public installation project possible.