West Indies

For Caribbean birders, one of the more unusual events in recent years has been the Caribbean’s colonization by the Little Egret (Egretta garzetta), a close relative of the Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), from the Eastern Hemisphere. Other species, such as the Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) and Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis) have also recently expanded their ranges in the Caribbean, but as a naturally-occurring immigrant from Europe or Africa, the Little Egret is a rare example of trans-Atlantic colonization.¹ The Little Egret was not observed in the Caribbean before the middle of the 20th century, but in 1954 the ornithologist James Bond found the first one on Barbados.² For the next forty years, Little Egrets occurred only as temporary vagrants.³ However in 1994, nesting birds were discovered at Graeme Hall Swamp on Barbados, the Caribbean’s first breeding colony.¹ Since then, the number of Little Egret sightings from the Caribbean has grown, and in 2008 Little Egret nests were found on a second island, Antigua.⁴

In the past, finding accurate, up-to-date information on rapidly changing populations was difficult. eBird’s constantly updating database and maps now allows birders to track the distribution and abundance changes of species like the Little Egret instantaneously. Because eBird depends on its users to provide the information in its databases, eBird needs your help to continue providing up-to-date information on Little Egret populations. By submitting all of your sightings (and especially breeding records) of Little Egrets in the Caribbean, you will be giving eBird Caribbean the data it needs to create accurate maps and document on-going Little Egret population changes in the region. Remember that for sightings from places where Little Egret is still considered rare, eBird requires documentation (photographs or careful descriptions) before accepting a record.

Little Egrets are almost identical to Snowy Egrets, which are much more common in the Western Hemisphere, making identification difficult and possibly causing birders to overlook vagrant Little Egrets. In the Caribbean, carefully examining apparent “Snowy Egrets” may be the best way to find a Little Egret. Like the Snowy Egret, the Little Egret is a small all-white egret, with yellow feet, and blackish bill and legs. Size, shape, and bill color are good field marks for separating these two species from most other white egrets and herons. However, distinguishing Snowy and Little Egrets depends on subtle differences, especially color, and birders should make identifications based on more than one field mark.¹ Most recent field guides for the Caribbean include illustrations and information on identifying Little Egrets. The following websites also provide helpful identification information.

Southeastern Caribbean Birds

Sibley Guides

If you want to search for Little Egrets locally, nearby wetlands are probably the best places to start. Within their original range, Little Egrets use both freshwater and saltwater habitats for foraging, as long as the water is relatively shallow.⁵ Habitat preferences in the Caribbean have not been studied much, but they appear to be similar to the preferences of Snowy Egrets.³ Like most herons and egrets, Little Egrets typically nest in colonies in wetland areas, generally with other heron or egret species.¹ Research on Barbados has found that Little Egrets on that island nest with other egrets in a colony in mangroves and mainly search for food in a mangrove swamp.³ Antigua birds preferred shallow ponds near the coastline and also nested in a multi-species colony.⁴ However, vagrant individuals have been recorded in many other habitats ranging from sewage ponds to rice fields to coastal mudflats and beaches,⁶ so the more places searched, the better the chances of finding one. Also, although heron colonies are often inaccessible, at colonies that can be accessed, nesting birds will be very visible, and can be easily searched for Little Egrets.

Map showing ebird sightings of Little Egrets in the Caribbean. Interested in learning where Little Egrets have been seen in the Caribbean? Follow this link to view the interactive version of this map, then zoom in to see records from individual locations.

The eBird range map can also help you find locations to look for Little Egrets. Zooming in on the Caribbean region will allow you to see each location with Little Egret sightings. Clicking on the balloon for a location will bring up a list of sightings telling you when and how many Little Egrets were observed there. Red location balloons show locations with recent sightings. You may be surprised by some of the places where Little Egrets are being seen.

Little Egrets appear to be here to stay and Caribbean populations should continue increasing, providing more opportunities to see these interesting birds. Whenever you do see one, enjoy it and remember to enter your sightings in eBird Caribbean.

Doug Weidemann

References

¹Mlodinow, S. G., W. E. Davis, Jr., and J. I. Dies. 2004. Possible anywhere: Little Egret. Birding 36:52-62.

²Bond, J. 1966. Eleventh supplement to the Check-list of birds of the West Indies (1956). Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia.

³Kushlan, J. A. 2007. Sympatric foraging of Little Egrets and Snowy Egrets in Barbados, West Indies. Waterbirds 30:609-612.

⁴Kushlan, J. A., and J. W. Prosper. 2009. Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) nesting on Antigua: a second nesting site in the Western Hemisphere. Journal of Caribbean Ornithology 22:108-111.

⁵2011 IUCN Heron Specialist Group. Little Egret Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus). Heron Conservation. www.heronconservation.org/styled-5/styled-37.

⁶Hayes, F. E., and G. L. White. 2001. Status of the Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) in Trinidad and Tobago. El Pitirre 14:54-58.