great egret

noun

: a large white heron (Ardea alba synonym Casmerodius albus) with a yellow bill and black legs and feet that occurs in New and Old World temperate and tropical regions

Examples of great egret in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In the late 1800s, great egrets were hunted nearly to extinction because their plumes were prized for ladies’ hats. Jennie Rothenberg Gritz, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Sep. 2023 Two surf scoters at the Quabbin Reservoir, a solitary sandpiper at the Dufresne Park in Granby, a great egret at Lake Wallace in Belchertown, seven sandhill cranes in Worthington, and a pectoral sandpiper on Meadow Street in Amherst. Isabela Rocha, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Apr. 2023 Martha’s Vineyard: A Townsend’s solitaire in the vicinity of the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest headquarters, a great egret at Eel Pond in Edgartown, an American oystercatcher at Joseph Sylvia State Beach, and three common ravens at the Wasque Point Wildlife Management Area. Isabela Rocha, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Mar. 2023 Other sightings around the Cape included a blue-winged teal and 5 Northern pintail in Marstons Mills, a glaucous gull at Corporation Beach in Dennis, a great egret in West Dennis, 2 snowy egrets in Yarmouth, and a short-eared owl in Eastham. BostonGlobe.com, 28 Dec. 2022 There was an eastern bluebird bright as the summer sky, a palm warbler with a jaunty chestnut-brown cap, and a snow-white great egret standing 3 feet tall. Nara Schoenberg, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2022 In Pittsfield, observers saw a great egret, a northern shoveler, and an osprey at Lake Pontoosuc. BostonGlobe.com, 30 Oct. 2021 Reports featured a great egret in Pittsfield, ospreys in Pittsfield and Richmond, a cackling goose in South Egremont, and a late indigo bunting in Williamstown. BostonGlobe.com, 23 Oct. 2021 Suddenly, a great egret landed on the grass about 10 yards from me and slowly walked the length of the yard, looking for breakfast. Elizabeth Bernstein, WSJ, 20 July 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'great egret.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1785, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of great egret was in 1785

Dictionary Entries Near great egret

Cite this Entry

“Great egret.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/great%20egret. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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