In the same photo, in identical hunting poses.
In yesterday’s post about a Cattle Egret I mentioned that the egret was in the same area as a Great Blue Heron and a Great Egret. Cheryl Anderson and Granny Pat asked if I had any photos that included all three birds, but I don’t because the Cattle Egret was too far away from the other two birds. However, I did get a few photos that included the Great Blue Heron and the Great Egret.
Two out of three isn’t too shabby.
1/5000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
The egret isn’t quite as sharp as the heron (a depth of field issue) but I was happy to get both of them in the same photo and delighted that they’re in identical hunting poses, or very nearly so. The Cattle Egret was some distance out of frame to the right in a setting that looked much different than this. There were also several Black-crowned Night Herons nearby. The only species missing to fill out our local heron/egret quintet was a Snowy Egret.
Seeing them together I was struck by the similarity of these two birds in shape, form and size. They’re so similar they look like twins of different colors, which begs the question – Why is one an egret and the other a heron? Shouldn’t they both be in the same avian group?
Kenn Kaufman, Field Editor for Audubon Magazine, attempts to make sense out of the seemingly senseless situation.
“But when it comes to the difference between herons and egrets—well, those really are just different words for the same darned birds. There isn’t any taxonomic difference. We can see that by looking at some examples. The Great Egret is more closely related to the Great Blue Heron than it is to other birds with “egret” in their names. The Snowy Egret and Reddish Egret are in the same genus as the Little Blue Heron and Tricolored Heron, while the Cattle Egret is classified in a genus by itself. The Western Reef-Heron is a very close relative of the Little Egret. We tend to use “egret” for the white species and “heron” for those that are darker, but there are many exceptions to that rule—including the fact that the Great Blue Heron itself has a white subspecies, sometimes called “Great White Heron,” living mainly in Florida and the Caribbean.”
It isn’t logical or consistent but that’s the way it is.
Ron
As a species, logical we ain’t. Or very rarely – the exception that proves the rule perhaps.
Thanks for continuing my education. And thanks to all your commentators too – Lyle and Dan Gleason today in particular. 30 is middleaged? He will learn. Perhaps.
“He will learn. Perhaps.”
If he lives long enough, EC. He thinks he already has.
And—in the end—the birds could care less what we call them anyway…
True enough, Jim.
Wonderful photo of these two beauties — and interesting/crazy taxonomy info by Kenn Kaufman. But whether there’s a taxonomic difference is not nearly as important to me as the fact that I can always tell a GBH from an egret, even in flight, and not just by color! (Fly-bys here are not all that unusual.) 😎
“Fly-bys here are not all that unusual.”
That makes you one lucky bird-lover, Chris.
Wow! Choreographed for sure. And Lyle wins the prize for clarifying the naming issues! 🤣
Lyle usually wins any prize awarded for linguistic creativity.
Making sense of common names is not alway a logical task. In the family of herons and egrets (Artedidae) are 68 species. Most, but not all, white one are called egrets. (There is an all white subspecies of Great Blue Heron found in Florida). Many more species in this family are called herons. But of course we also have to include night-herons, tiger-herons and reef-herons. And don’t forget bitterns which are also in the same family. Except for the sun-bittern which is in its own family and not even closely related to true bitterns, herons or egrets. We can get very confused trying to make sense of common names. Meadowlarks are blackbirds not larks and the Blackbird of Europe is a thrush, not related to our blackbirds. And on it goes.
“And on it goes”.
Infinitely. I’m convinced of it.
I doubt I’ll ever see these two species side by side around here. Two species coexisting; nice to see.
From heron out I will not egret or show bitterness if I mistake one for the other. Sound like a good ardea?
Lyle, when your comment came in on my phone I was sitting in the barber’s chair. I laughed out loud when I read it, at your last sentence especially. I’m sure my barber wondered what I was laughing about but he told me he was 30 and that was middle aged. So I’m sure he wouldn’t get it.
Always the teacher–thanks for the welcome lesson. We’re lucky enough to have a nearby creek where we see GBH and last week one took off about 20 feet away from me. It’s quite impressive in size.
BTW my amaranth seeds are up. Thanks for the photo a while back so I knew what to look for.
Good to know your amaranth seeds are up, Linda. And that my photo helped you to ID them. Just a few minutes ago I tracked mud in the house after weeding what’s left of my amaranth after the recent hailstorm.
They knew you were photographing Ron so they set that up for you. Sibley’s shows the GBH as 54″ length, 72″ wing span, and 6.4 pounds while the Great Egret is 39″ length, wing span 51″, and weight only 1.9 pounds. Sometimes if not too close they look about the same size, but I have seen them very close where the GBH’s larger size is very apparent. Also I have seen them get very irritated with the other when fishing very close. I have one photo of the two very close and at the angle taken the Heron really looks larger.
Everett, what you describe is evidence of the difficulty of estimating bird size in the field.
The similarity of the birds was the first thing that sturck me! Glad for the explanation of one being a Heron and the other an Egret…..not being into the technicalities of scientific naming ………. 😉 Both are beautiful. 🙂
Yard unpleasant right now – VERY beautiful BUT Grackle and 1st hatch of Robins are fledging and the racket sets my teeth on edge….. Crow (finally confirmed which it was) has been showing up every few days. Hope it’s “worth it” as he’s getting the hell beat out of him every trip and doesn’t appear to go away with anything screaming all the way……
Made me smile, Judy. I can imagine the cacophony you’re listening to, probably all day long.
Not “logical or consistent”. Well, isn’t that the way of the world. A rose by any other name?
“Well, isn’t that the way of the world.”
Much of it anyway.
I’d heard in the past that taxonomy of birds ( and sometimes of plants) is a
really fraught issue, but from the examples you offered today–well, I think
that chasing their beauty makes much more sense than does classifying them.
I loved the gracefully matching arcs of necks in today’s post—they seemed almost to animate the still image……
“I loved the gracefully matching arcs of necks in today’s post—they seemed almost to animate the still image.”
Kris, to me their nearly identical poses look like they were choreographed.
Beautiful birds.
Agreed, Jimmy.
Thanks, Ron. Nice to see the habitat and how close they are willing to allow other birds to get. But as usual it was the notes (in this case, on classification) that really made the post. A rose by any other name and all that.
“it was the notes (in this case, on classification) that really made the post”
Good to know, Granny Pat. And thanks for being one of those who asked the question that inspired this post.
Interesting! I’ve wondered too why one is an egret and the other is a heron 🙂
Thanks, Terri.