Great Egret In Breeding Plumage

More about Great Egret In Breeding Plumage

Photo By Sally Recchia - Great Egrets develop fancy plumes when they are in breeding plumage and seem to be quite famous for that but their lores also change color from yellow to a lime green and the top mandible turning very dark. With the lores being so colorful during courtship the eyes seem to look even paler than normal. Great Egrets were hunted nearly to extinction for their plumes in the late nineteenth century, sparking conservation movements and some of the first laws to protect birds.