top of page

Birds of Zihuatanejo

CLASS AVES

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Birds (Class Aves)

-Pelicans, Herons, Ibises, and Allies (Order Pelecaniformes)

-Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns (Family Ardeidae)

-Typical Herons and Egrets (Subfamily Ardeinae)

-Typical Egrets (Genus Egretta)

-Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens)


The reddish egret (Egretta rufescens) is a medium-sized heron found in shallow, coastal areas. It has a wide range, from the southeastern United States to Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America. These birds feed mainly on small fish and invertebrates, which they capture by actively pursuing prey in shallow water. They are known for their unique, active foraging behavior, which features a lot of wing flapping and dancing that helps them to stir up prey.

Reddish Egret

Egretta rufescens

Diet

  • Primarily small fish, including mullet, killifish, gobies, and silversides.

  • Also feeds on shrimp, crabs, aquatic insects, and other small aquatic invertebrates.

  • Famous for its energetic hunting style, running, leaping, spinning, and spreading its wings to flush prey from shallow water.

Range

  • Found along the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, Pacific coast of Mexico, Central America, and the northern coasts of South America.

  • In Mexico, it occurs along both the Pacific and Gulf coasts, including the Zihuatanejo region, where it is an uncommon but regular resident and winter visitor.

  • Inhabits shallow coastal lagoons, estuaries, mangrove swamps, mudflats, salt ponds, tidal creeks, and sheltered beaches.

  • Rarely found far inland.

Male / Female

  • Male: Occurs in both a dark morph (slate-gray body with a reddish-brown head and neck) and a white morph (entirely white); slightly larger than the female.

  • Female: Similar in colour and also occurs in both dark and white morphs but is generally smaller.

  • Sexes cannot be reliably distinguished in the field except by size when seen together.

Size

  • Length: 68–82 cm (27–32 in)

  • Wingspan: 114–122 cm (45–48 in)

  • Weight: 650–900 g (1.4–2.0 lb)

bottom of page