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Great White Egret

Casmerodius albus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Большая белая цапля

2015-06-13
Rubtsovsk city, Altai Region
© Sergey Zelenin

Distribution

Breeds on some lakes in steppe and forest-steppe of Western Siberia, and in extreme east if Transbaikal. Vagrant in forest zone.
In Siberia two forms can be seen: nominative subspecies E. a. alba, and smaller south-eastern subspecies E. a. modesta (Eastern White Egret), which is recently divided to the independent species. The last one breeds in the Russian Far East and potentially can also appear in Siberia as vagrant.

Biology

Common breeding migrant. Inhabits plain lakes with the plenty reed-beds, trees, bushes, nearby the shallow water. In spring appears early in the time of emergence of the first patches of open water, but the majority of birds migrate in small flocks from the mid-March to early April (in a late spring only at the end of April). Begins to breed immediately after arrival. Nests in separate pairs or in small colonies of one-two dozen pairs, often together with Grey Heron and Spoonbill. Nest is located in the reed-beds; is built from the dry reed stems and leaves, or rarely from thin twigs in the case of location of the nest on trees. Clutch of 3-4, rare 5 eggs is produced from mid-April to beginning of May. Juveniles begin to fly from mid-May to beginning of August. At first Egrets disperse by families, then are united in flocks sometimes numbering to 1500 birds. Autumn migration is intensive mostly in September – early October.

References

В.К.Рябицев. "Птицы Сибири". Москва-Екатеринбург, Изд-во "Кабинетный ученый", 2014

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