What is Great egret?
{{Taxobox | name = Great egret | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | image = Ardea-alba-001.jpg | image_width = 250px | image_caption = Great egret | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | classis = [[Aves]] | ordo = [[Ciconiiformes]] | familia = [[Ardeidae]] | genus = ''[[Ardea]]'' | binomial = ''Ardea alba''}} The '''great egret''' (''Ardea alba'') (also known an the '''common egret''', '''large egret''', '''great white egret''', or '''great white heron''') is a large wading bird found worldwide. [[File:Большая белая цапля на Верхнем Знаменском пруду.jpg|thumb|left|Great egret on the pond]] It is the second-largest member of the [[heron]] family in [[America]] (second only to the [[great blue heron]]). It lives in mudflats, tidal [[shallow]]s [[marsh]]es, lakes, rivers and flooded paddy fields. It winters in the south down to [[Colombia]]. The great egret flies with slow wing beats and has a deep, croaking call. It is 90-102 cm long. == Diet == The great egret eats [[fish]], [[lizard]]s, [[frog]]s, [[crayfish]], small [[rodent]]s, and [[insect]]s. It often hunts in shallow water, usually impaling the prey on its long, sharp bill. == Egg and nests == [[File:Ardea alba melanorhynchos MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.52.1.jpg|thumb| ''Ardea alba melanorhynchos'']] The great egret's nest is a platform of twigs and sticks that is built in trees or on the ground. Females lay 3-5 pale blue-green eggs in each [[clutch (eggs)|clutch]] (a set of eggs laid at one time). The incubation period of the eggs is 23–26 days. == References == Birds of the Indian Subcontinent-2010, Oxford University Press, Richard Grimmett, Carol Inskipp, Tim Inskipp [[Category:Ardeidae]]