Snowy Egret 85 
Snowy Egret. Hgretta candidissima. 
A.O.U. Checklist no 197—Colorado Records—Hersey 76, p. 430; 
Morrison 89, p. 166; H. G. Smith 96, p. 65 ; Cooke 94, p. 183 ; 97, pp. 
61, 157, 198 ; Henderson 03, p. 2345; 09, p. 227; Warren 06, p. 19; 08, 
p. 20; 09, p. 13; Cary 09, p. 180; Hersey & Rockwell 09, p. 114. 
Description.—Plumage white throughout, with decomposed plumes 
on the occiput, lower-neck and scapulars, the latter recurved when 
perfect ; iris bare, space on face and toes yellow, bill, legs and claws 
black. Length 24-0; wing 11-0; tail 4-0; culmen 3-5; tarsus 4-0. 
The adults after the breeding season lack the decomposed plumes. 
Distribution.—From Long Island and Oregon south through the West 
Indies and Central America to the Argentine ; breeding throughout its 
range, but only a summer resident in the middle states. 
In Colorado the Snowy Egret is 4 somewhat scarce summer bird. 
It was first noticed by J. C. Hersey, who reported the capture 
of a solitary specimen in a small lake thirty miles north-west of 
Denver, May 4th, 1876. It is less uncommon than usually supposed, 
but has not yet been found breeding. L. T. Hersey and Rockwell 
noticed it at Barr or several occasions in April, May and June, but 
failed to find the nest. It is chiefly met with along the eastern base 
of the mountains, but has been taken as high as Twin Lakes and Lead- 
ville, and was also on the western slopes at Glenwood (Carter). 
Other recorded localities are, near Denver (H. G. Smith), Loveland, 
Fort Collins and Pueblo (Cooke), Colorado Springs (Aiken), Salida, 
spring and fall (Frey), Kremmling and Coventry (Warren), while there 
is an example in the Aiken collection taken at Howbert in South Park, 
May Ist, 1904, at about 8,600 feet. Cary notes it from White River 
P.O. and La Veta. 
Habits.—In the south, where they were formerly 
found in great numbers, the Snowy Egrets were social 
birds, roosting and breeding in large assemblies, generally 
in bushes over the water, and scattering during the day 
to obtain their food—small fishes, frogs or aquatic 
insects. In Colorado, however, they are never very 
abundant, and only an occasional wanderer is to be found 
in the neighbourhood of lakes and rivers. 
This and the Snowy Egret are the birds which have 
suffered chiefly at the hands of the plume-hunters, 
owing to the demand for “ aigrettes,” which are made 
