page_title: Egretta
section_title: Taxonomy
hierarchical_section_title: Egretta / Taxonomy
caption_attribution_description: English: Little Egret Egretta garzetta in Kolleru, Andhra Pradesh, India.
context_page_description: Egretta is a genus of medium-sized herons, mostly breeding in warmer climates. The genus name comes from the Provençal French for the little egret, aigrette, a diminutive of aigron, "heron".
  Representatives of this genus are found in most of the world, and the little egret, as well as being widespread throughout much of the Old World, has now started to colonise the Americas.
  These are typical egrets in shape, long-necked and long-legged. A few plumage features are shared, although several have plumes in breeding plumage; a number of species are either white in all plumages, have a white morph, or have a white juvenile plumage.
  The breeding habitat of Egretta herons is marshy wetlands in warm regions. They nest in colonies, often with other wading birds, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs.
  These herons feed on insects, fish, and amphibians, caught normally by cautious stalking.
context_section_description: As with other heron groupings, the taxonomy of these birds has been a source of dispute. Some of these species have been placed with the great herons in Ardea, and conversely, the large white species such as the great egret are occasionally allocated to Egretta.
  The fact that some members of the genus have common names of "heron" and some of "egret" , causes further confusion in differentiating between this genus and Ardea.
caption: Little egret Egretta garzetta in Kolleru, Andhra Pradesh, India
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