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27 days. The eggs hatch asynchronously, after hatching the adults brood the semialtricial young for 12 days, defending the nests from aerial predators during both incubation and brooding, they crouch over the nest and raise their plumes and point their bill towards the threat. The parents regurgitate the food to feed the young, initially onto the floor of the nest but later the chick takes the food from the parent's mouth. There may be competition for food within the brood. Pinfeathers may appear on the chicks as early as 4 days old and the young are able to leave the nest at 24 days old, although they return to be fed. Fledging occurs at around 40 days old and they leave the colony after 70 days. In Africa and
Australia they are reported to be quite successful breeders with 96% and 88% of nests fledging at least a single chick. Intermediate egret populations are more successful in wet years than in dry years.
481:
31:
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426:, though nearer to little than great. It is about 56–72 cm (22–28 in) long with a 105–115 cm (41–45 in) wingspan and weighs c. 400 g (14 oz), with all-white plumage, generally dark legs and a thickish yellow bill. Breeding birds may have a reddish or black bill, greenish yellow
451:
has a noticeable kink near the middle of its neck, and the top of its longer bill nearly aligns with the flat top of its head. Close up, great egret's gape line extends behind the eye, while the intermediate's is less pointed and ends below the eye. The intermediate tends to stalk upright with neck
468:
with other herons, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. The typical clutch size is 2 or 3 eggs but there can be as many as 6 eggs in a clutch, the colour of the eggs is pale green, with a smooth, slightly pitted shell. Both parents incubate the eggs and they hatch after between 24 and
499:
446:
The medium egret has non-breeding colours which are similar to other white egrets, but the intermediate is smaller, with neck length a little less than body length, a slightly domed head, and a shorter, thicker bill. The
403:
and face. A further difference between this species and the "yellow-billed" species is that the intermediate egret has black at the top of the legs compared to reddish in the yellow-billed egret.
480:
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The medium egret stalks its prey methodically in shallow coastal or fresh water, including flooded fields. It eats fish, frogs, crustaceans and insects. It often nests in
1132:
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406:
The split of intermediate egret into 3 species was accepted by the IOC on 26 September 2023, this form was given the common name medium egret by the IOC.
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have yellow-soled feet and black bills. They often run after fish in shallow water. Breeding birds have long nuptial plumes on the back of their heads.
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skin, loose filamentous plumes on their breast and back, and dull yellow or pink on their upper legs (regional variations). The sexes are similar.
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Martínez-Vilalta, A.; Motis, A.; Kirwan, G.M. (2018). del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.).
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extended forward. The great is more patient, often adopting a sideways-leaning "one-eyed" stance.
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694:(Eleventh revised ed.). Bombay: Bombay Natural History Society/Oxford University Press.
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The medium egret, as its scientific name implies, is intermediate in size between the
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There were three recognised subspecies, and these are sometimes raised in to species:
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355:"intermediate egret" - Asia from the Russian Far East to Japan to India and the
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Photo showing the size difference in great, medium and little egrets, India
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679:. Vol. Volume 1: Ostrich to Ducks. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions.
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302:. It is a resident breeder in southern and eastern Asia.
725:. Heron Conservation The IUCN-SCC Heron Specialist Group
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Sketch comparing gapes of intermediate and great egrets
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by having a black bill when in breeding plumage, while
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del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J., eds. (1992).
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322:, while others place it with the smaller egrets in
552:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22727668A181757896.en
652:"IOC World Bird List v13.2 Proposed Splits/Lumps"
310:Some authorities classify the intermediate egret
292:. Some taxonomists put the species in the genus
8:
784:
346:"yellow-billed egret" - sub-Saharan Africa
199:
53:
29:
20:
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615:Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive
583:. International Ornithological Congress
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1171:f7b5b56e-87ae-4fee-868c-41556eb0eec0
982:cd4056ee-7854-4d57-8d23-21361a7fc16d
713:
711:
372:"plumed egret" - eastern Indonesia,
1220:IUCN Red List least concern species
778:The Atlas of Southern African Birds
538:IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
758:by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp,
676:Handbook of the Birds of the World
418:and smaller white egrets like the
14:
1255:Taxa named by Johann Georg Wagler
498:
479:
78:
581:IOC World Bird List version 8.2
527:BirdLife International (2020).
395:has a yellow-and-pink bill and
745:by Barlow, Wacher and Disley,
230: Present during migration
1:
434:Differences from other egrets
617:. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
1245:Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa
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545:: e.T22727668A181757896.
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75:Scientific classification
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51:
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692:The Book of Indian Birds
654:. IOC. 26 September 2023
1250:Birds described in 1827
577:"Storks, ibis, herons"
443:
218: Year-round range
623:10.2173/bow.integr.01
607:"Intermediate Egret (
486:Descending to perch,
441:
397:A. (i.) brachyrhyncha
224: Wintering range
719:"Intermediate Egret
385:A.(i.) brachyrhyncha
288:, is a medium-sized
246:Mesophoyx intermedia
212: Breeding range
1240:Birds of Indomalaya
743:Birds of The Gambia
337:A. i. brachyrhyncha
45:Conservation status
38:In Thrissur, India
1235:Birds of East Asia
1086:intermediate-egret
1081:BirdLife-Australia
1033:Egretta intermedia
444:
399:has much yellower
286:intermediate egret
254:Egretta intermedia
166:A. intermedia
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790:Taxon identifiers
389:A. (i.) plumifera
381:A.(i.) intermedia
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842:Ardea_intermedia
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798:Ardea intermedia
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776:Species text in
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690:Ali, S. (1993).
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393:A.(i.) plumifera
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350:A.i. intermedia
312:species complex
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16:Species of bird
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24:Medium egret
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1161:plumed-egret
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658:27 September
656:. Retrieved
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634:. Retrieved
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488:Kabini River
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424:cattle egret
420:little egret
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928:iNaturalist
822:Wikispecies
636:25 December
587:25 December
558:19 November
449:great egret
416:great egret
410:Description
314:in its own
1214:Categories
1016:Xeno-canto
511:References
374:New Guinea
813:Q27074615
723:(Wagler)"
631:240970149
460:Behaviour
320:Mesophoyx
316:monotypic
300:Mesophoyx
160:Species:
98:Kingdom:
92:Eukaryota
1138:11252821
1042:Wikidata
959:22727668
946:10829742
868:22727668
863:BirdLife
807:Wikidata
466:colonies
306:Taxonomy
237:Synonyms
142:Ardeidae
138:Family:
112:Chordata
108:Phylum:
102:Animalia
88:Domain:
65:IUCN 3.1
1125:2480880
1068:Avibase
1048:Q218821
920:4352345
850:Avibase
473:Gallery
325:Egretta
318:genus,
295:Egretta
148:Genus:
128:Order:
118:Class:
63: (
1197:212662
1184:212662
1168:NZOR:
1158:NZBO:
1151:174823
1107:EURING
1061:integr
1008:225956
979:NZOR:
972:585464
933:558445
907:integr
894:integr
881:747818
762:
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729:11 May
698:
629:
370:, 1848
344:, 1854
228:
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193:, 1829
191:Wagler
1192:WoRMS
1133:IRMNG
1099:6DYRD
1003:WoRMS
995:73468
941:IRMNG
902:eBird
627:S2CID
492:India
401:lores
368:Gould
342:Brehm
290:heron
153:Ardea
1179:OBIS
1146:ITIS
1120:GBIF
1112:1200
967:NCBI
954:IUCN
915:GBIF
876:BOLD
760:ISBN
747:ISBN
731:2022
696:ISBN
660:2023
638:2018
589:2018
560:2021
543:2020
428:gape
422:and
387:and
266:The
122:Aves
1094:CoL
1057:ABA
889:BOW
837:AFD
619:doi
547:doi
298:or
284:or
276:),
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710:^
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611:)"
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328:.
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562:.
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529:"
270:(
67:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
