Flight Of The Snowy Egret From Stratton Island, Maine

This delicately formed heron is distinguishable by its black legs and bright yellow feet. Reliant on coastal wetlands particularly in the eastern and southern U.S., Snowy Egrets face a grave situation as their numbers have suffered in recent years with loss of habitat.

Of the 127 million acres of wetlands existing in the United States during colonial times, 100 million have been drained as of the late 1970s (Curry-Lindahl 1978).

Projects such as the Seabird Restoration Program are dedicating to preserving and studying the habitat and behaviors of these beautiful wading birds.

Photo Courtesy of Janine Parziale