Little egret

    Egretta garzetta

Castilian: Garceta común

Catalan: Martinet blanc

Gallego: Garzota

Euskera: Lertxunxo txikia

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Ciconiiformes

Family: Ardeidae

Migratory status: Permanent resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category.

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THREATS

The reduction and degradation of wetlands are the primary problems.

Length / size: 55-65 cm / 88-106 cm

Identification: Small to medium-sized bird with white plumage, a black bill and legs, and yellow toes which are distinguishable during flight; during breeding season it exhibits long feathers on its head and others in the shape of a tuft on its breast and back. In flight it maintains it neck tucked in in the shape of an “S” and its legs outstretched.

Song: It is silent when it is not in a colony; in flight it makes a loud, hoarse screech, " guagh guagh".

Diet: It mostly feeds on small fish, amphibians, insects, and to a lesser extent crustaceans, earthworms, snakes, etc., which it catches by removing silt with its feet.

Reproduction: It is a colonial species that mixes with another kind of wading birds. The nest is built by the female with the materials that the male brings her (branches, stalks) above trees or shrubs, but incubation is performed by both adults. After about one month, the chicks are already wandering about the branches.

HABITAT

It occupies different types of wetlands, both natural and man-made, with shallow, calm waters and abundant trees and river vegetation.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: There is a distinction made between two breeding populations: one eastern (Murcia, Valencian Community, Balearic Islands, Catalonia, Aragon, Navarre, Basque Country and Cantabria) and another western (western Andalusia, Extremadura, Castile-La Mancha, Castile and León and Madrid). In winter it is found primarily in the southwestern quadrant of the peninsula and along the coasts.

In Castile and León: It regularly breeds in the River Duero when passing through Valladolid and Zamora. Additionally, breeding populations were found in Ávila, Palencia, and Zamora in 2001.

Movements and migrations: The movements that they make can be migratory or dispersive. After breeding, many specimens travel to the north of the peninsula or go to tropical Africa to spend the winter, and some have even crossed the Atlantic and reached American shorts. The peninsula and Balearic Islands are also important passage zones for large numbers of European egrets. They leave their breeding areas between August and September, and return in early March.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 10400 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: