Bird Facts: The Fall and Rise of the Little Egret

Описание: The Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) is a small white heron with a black beak, black legs and yellow feet. Once fairly common in the UK the birds became extinct here in the 1500’s due to over-hunting and climate change. This bird video explores how the Little Egret bounced back. The bird sounds on the video include a Garden Warbler (at the start) and a Chiff Chaff.

The Little Egret population also declined in other parts of Europe and by the 1950s, they were mainly found in the south of the continent. However, after new laws to protect the birds were introduced, their population and distribution expanded rapidly.

In 1989, over 100 birds arrived on the UK’s south coast from new breeding colonies in the north of France. A few years later, in 1996, Little Egrets bred in Britain for the first time in hundreds of years on Brownsea Island in Dorset. They have continued to spread northwards in the UK ever since.

The UK breeding population is now estimated at over 1100 pairs, with over 11,000 birds spending the winter here.

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