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Great Egret Ardea alba |
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Great Egrets eat fish, frogs and crabs. They find their food by wading very slowly in shallow water. Suddenly their beak darts out to grab their prey. In the spring, the area around the eye of the Great Egret turns green and it develops special feathers called “breeding plumage.” Women used to decorate their hats with those feathers. So many Great Egrets were killed for their feathers that they almost became extinct. Now they are protected by law. |