Egretta thula
Silhouette: L. Shyamal · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The snowy egret (Egretta thula) is a small white heron. The genus name comes from Provençal French for the little egret, aigrette, which is a diminutive of aigron, 'heron'. The species name thula is the Mapudungun term for the black-necked swan, applied to this species in error by Chilean naturalist Juan Ignacio Molina in 1782.
The snowy egret is the American counterpart to the very similar Old World little egret, which has become established in the Bahamas. At one time, the plumes of the snowy egret were in great demand as decorations for women's hats. They were hunted for these plumes and this reduced the population of the species to dangerously low levels. Now protected in the United States by law, under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, this bird's population has rebounded.
The snowy egret is native to North, Central and South America. It is present all year round in South America, ranging as far south as Chile and Argentina. It also occurs throughout the year in the West Indies, Florida and coastal regions of North and Central America. Elsewhere, in the southern part of the United States, it is migratory, breeding in California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barranquilla | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Rosario | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Maceió | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Montevideo | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | |
| 6 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | León | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 8 | Guayaquil | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 9 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | São Luís | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Brookfield Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Phoenix Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Berlin Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Temaikén | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 6 | Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Lincoln Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Aquarium of the Pacific | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Florida Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | National Aviary | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Aquarium Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 12 | Tennessee Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Cali Zoo | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 14 | Seaside Seabird Sanctuary | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Snowy Egret sighting in Dallas on a given day, based on 835 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 58th most-seen of the 253 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June to September
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Snowy Egret in Dallas on a given day, against under 5% in November to March, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Snowy Egret sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
49th of 76
Of the 76 cities where we can rate Snowy Egret sightings, Dallas ranks 49th at about 10%. The best odds are in Barranquilla (Colombia, about 60%), Mesa (United States, about 50%) and Rosario (Argentina, about 50%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Snowy Egret is recorded against all the birds logged in Dallas (835 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
