Little Egret
Egretta garzetta
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPelecaniformes (Pelicaniformes)
- FamilyArdeidae (Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns)
- GenusEgretta (Small Egrets and Herons)
- SpeciesEgretta garzetta (Little Egret)
The little egret (Egretta garzetta) is a species of small heron in the family Ardeidae. It is a white bird with a slender black beak, long black legs and, in the western race, yellow feet. As an aquatic bird, it feeds in shallow water and on land, consuming a variety of small creatures. It breeds colonially, often with other species of water birds, making a platform nest of sticks in a tree, bush or reed bed. A clutch of three to five bluish-green eggs is laid and incubated by both parents for about three weeks. The young fledge at about six weeks of age. Wikipedia →
5–10% of wildlife watchers report a Little Egret sighting in Hwange National Park, based on 38 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Hwange National Park
Slaty Egret
Egretta vinaceigula
intermediate egret
Egretta intermedia
Black Heron
Egretta ardesiaca
Grey Heron
Ardea cinerea
Black-headed Heron
Ardea melanocephala
Great Egret
Ardea alba
Cattle Egret
Bubulcus ibis
Goliath Heron
Ardea goliath
Squacco Heron
Ardeola ralloides
Striated Heron
Butorides striata
Black-crowned Night Heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
Purple Heron
Ardea purpurea
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Little Egret in Hwange National Park?
About 8% of wildlife watchers report a Little Egret sighting in Hwange National Park, based on 38 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Little Egret in Hwange National Park?
January has the highest sighting rate for Little Egret in Hwange National Park in our monthly data.