Editorial photo #10466506 Human Interest
Gret Egret
The great egret (Ardea alba), is a large, widely distributed egret. Recently it is also spreading to more northern areas of Europe. Distributed across most of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world, it builds tree nests in colonies close to water. In North America, large numbers of great egrets were killed toward the end of the 19th century so that their plumes, known as ''aigrettes'', could be used to decorate hats. This brought the species to the brink of extinction. Conservation efforts have allowed the bird to rebound and thrive. (Photo by George Wilson/NurPhoto)
