HABITAT
Common along the coast in salt marshes estuaries, as well as inland for breeding habitat near rivers, lakes, and marshes.

GEOGRAPHIC REGION & RANGE
Found throughout North, Central, and South America.

DIET
Mostly aquatic animals, including fish, frogs, worms, crustaceans, and insects.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Medium-sized herons with long, thin legs and long, slender, bills. Adult snowy egrets have entirely white plumage, with a black bill, black legs, and yellow feet and eyes. Breeding adults develop long, delicate plumes off their breast and are also characterized by their change in foot color, from yellow to orange.

LIEFESPAN
16-22 years

THREATS
Their biggest threat is habitat loss: more than 100 million acres of wetlands in the U.S. have been drained since colonial times. Since Snowy Egrets spend more time feeding than many other herons, they may be especially sensitive to environmental changes that reduce available prey. Urbanization of nesting and foraging habitat are also concerns. Populations appear to be declining along the Atlantic coast due to pollution and competition with other bird species.

STATUS
Least Concern