A white bird in the heron family with a slender black beak and long black legs. May have yellow feet. At 22–26" in length it is a medium-sized wading bird.
Generally identifiable by the 2-3 very long feathers coming off the back of its head, which is not present on the bird year-round but is likely to feature in art. Another indicator is yellow coloration around the base of the beak to the eye, or a line connecting the beak corner to eye.
A rare grey variant exists and is occasionally represented in art.
Egrets are prized for their feathers and were nearly wiped out by the feather trade. They are now protected.
