THE GREAT WHITE HERON. 205 



EGRETTA ALBA 



276. Egretta alba alba (L.)— THE GREAT WHITE HERON. 



Ardea alba Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 144 (1758 — Europe. Re- 

 stricted typical locality : Sweden). 

 Ardea alba Linnaeus, Yarreil, iv, p. 177 ; Saunders, p. 371. 



Description. — Adult male and female. Summer. — Whole plumage 

 white. Feathers of crown slightly elongated and loose but no very 

 long crest -feathers ; feathers of upper-breast and base of neck long 

 and with separated rami on tips and edges ; upper scapulars enor- 

 mously elongated (320-^50 mm. long) with very long, loose rami 

 placed widely apart and drooping from shaft. This plumage is 

 acquired by complete moult from Dec. to May. Winter. — A complete 

 moult appears to take place from Aug.-Nov. New plumage like 

 summer, but scapulars are more or less normal with separated rami 

 on tips and edges but not greatly elongated as in summer nor with 

 very long and widely separated rami. 



Nestling. — Down white, long with silky hair-like tips, that of 

 crown rather stiff er (but finer and less bristle -like than in Common 

 Heron) giving very conspicuous crested appearance, rest of down 

 shorter, especially on neck and under-parts. Lores, round eyes, 

 whole of chin and upper half of throat, most of back of neck, centre 

 of upper-breast bare. 



Juvenile. — Whole plumage white as in adult but feathers of 

 crown and upper-breast shorter and scapulars normal. 



First winter. — As adult winter but tips of scapulars with 

 slightly less long and less separated rami. The juvenile body-plumage 

 is moulted Aug.-Nov. but not wing- or tail-feathers. First summer. 

 — A female (May) is like winter adult and may possibly be first 

 summer if not an adult which has missed spring moult. 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 410-465 mm., tail 140- 

 185, tarsus 170-215, bill from feathers 110-135 (12 measured). $ 

 wing 400-450, bill 110-132. Primaries : 2nd and 3rd usually 

 longest, 4th as long or 10 mm. shorter, 1st usually 10-15 shorter, 

 5th 20-30 shorter, 6th 40-60 shorter, 7th 70-90 shorter ; 2nd to 

 4th emarginated outer and 1st to 3rd inner webs. Rest of structure 

 as in Common Heron but tip of upper mandible not so sharply 

 pointed and notch more distinct. 



Soft parts. — Bill black, base orange (ad. summer), yellow 

 (ad. winter and juv.) ; legs and feet black-brown, sides yellowish, 

 toes greenish-black ; iris yellow. 



Character and allied forms. — Other forms occur outside Palse- 

 arctic region. Large size, pure white colour, absence of long crest- 

 plumes in winter, yellow bill distinguish it from other British 

 Herons. 



Breeding-habits. — Nests in colonies in dense reed-beds. Nest. — 

 Built of dead stems of reeds in water three or four feet deep. Con- 

 siderably larger than that of Purple Heron, standing three feet above 



