great egret

noun

|Updated on: 19 Jul 2018

Definition of great egret

: 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

Recent Examples of great egret from the Web

Juvenile little blue herons are half the size of a great egret.

— taylor piephoff, charlotteobserver, "You’ll have no regrets in search for egrets – and herons, too," 11 July 2018
Two islands off the Milford and Westbrook shorelines have been closed to the public to protect key nesting habitat for snowy egrets, great egrets, glossy ibis and little blue herons, state environmental officials announced Wednesday.

— gregory b. hladky, courant.com, "Islands Off Milford, Westbrook Closed To Protect Nesting Birds," 23 May 2018
Snowy egret, not to be confused with the much larger and more common great egret, is a nice bird to see anytime in the area.

— taylor piephoff, charlotteobserver, "‘One-Day Wonders’ make birders rush for a glimpse of the rarity | Charlotte Observer," 16 May 2018
Birds required to be protected include anhinga, cormorant, great blue heron, great egret and snowy egret, all of which have different nesting periods.

— mark schleifstein, NOLA.com, "Bayou Bridge Pipeline gets Army Corps permit for Louisiana right of way," 14 Dec. 2017
Waterfowl, including great egrets and American coots, are finding the changes to their liking.

— paul a. smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Smith: Amid drawdown, fishery closure proposed for Little Muskego Lake," 11 Oct. 2017
The beaver pond produced other waders as usual: a great egret that has become a fixture there, and a green heron.

— taylor piephoff, charlotteobserver, "Searching Charlotte’s greenways for soaring birds," 1 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'great egret.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.