Herons and egrets (Ardeidae)
Baby great egrets: from egg to fledgling
A Great Egret lays 1–6 eggs. They hatch after 23–26 days, and the young leave the nest 21–25 days later — about 44–51 days from egg to fledgling.
- Eggs per clutch
- 1–6 eggs
- Incubation
- 23–26 days
- Time in the nest
- 21–25 days
- Egg to fledgling
- About 44–51 days
- Broods per year
- 1 per season
- Nest
- Stick platform high in trees, in mixed colonies
- Uses nest boxes
- No
Stage by stage
- Eggs (23–26 days): 1–6 eggs per clutch. Most songbirds start incubating when the last or second-to-last egg is laid, so the young hatch close together; owls and hawks start with the first egg, so their chicks hatch days apart.
- Nestlings (21–25 days): the young hatch with little or no down and their eyes closed. They grow fast on a diet the parents bring in. In the breeding season great egrets mainly eat fish, frogs, crayfish and voles.
- Fledglings: after leaving the nest, young great egrets are fully feathered but short-tailed and clumsy. They spend days to weeks on low branches or the ground while the parents keep feeding them.
- More broods: 1 per season.
When great egrets nest, state by state
Nesting starts earliest in Alabama (Feb) and latest in Maine (Apr). Months are estimates from regional breeding data shifted for latitude.
| State / province | Nesting season |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Feb–Jun |
| Arkansas | Mar–Jun |
| California | Feb–Jun |
| Connecticut | Mar–Jun |
| Delaware | Mar–Jun |
| Florida | Feb–Jun |
| Georgia | Feb–Jun |
| Illinois | Mar–Jun |
| Indiana | Mar–Jun |
| Iowa | Mar–Jun |
| Kansas | Mar–Jun |
| Kentucky | Mar–Jun |
| Louisiana | Feb–Jun |
| Maine | Apr–Jun |
| Maryland | Mar–Jun |
| Massachusetts | Mar–Jun |
| Michigan | Mar–Jun |
| Minnesota | Apr–Jun |
| Mississippi | Feb–Jun |
| Missouri | Mar–Jun |
| Nebraska | Mar–Jun |
| New Hampshire | Apr–Jun |
| New Jersey | Mar–Jun |
| New York | Mar–Jun |
| North Carolina | Mar–Jun |
| North Dakota | Apr–Jun |
| Ohio | Mar–Jun |
| Oklahoma | Mar–Jun |
| Ontario | Apr–Jun |
| Oregon | Mar–Jun |
| Pennsylvania | Mar–Jun |
| Rhode Island | Mar–Jun |
| South Carolina | Feb–Jun |
| South Dakota | Mar–Jun |
| Tennessee | Mar–Jun |
| Texas | Feb–Jun |
| Vermont | Apr–Jun |
| Virginia | Mar–Jun |
| Washington | Mar–Jun |
| West Virginia | Mar–Jun |
| Wisconsin | Apr–Jun |
Found a baby Great Egret?
- Feathered, hopping, can grip your finger: a fledgling. This is a normal stage. Keep pets and children away and watch from a distance; the parents are usually close by.
- Bare skin or only pin feathers: a nestling that fell. If you can see the nest, put it back. Touching it won't make the parents abandon it — that is a myth.
- Injured, cold, covered in flies, or caught by a cat: contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. In the US and Canada, ahnow.org finds the nearest one.
- Don't give water or food. Baby birds can choke, and the wrong food can kill them.
More about great egrets
Frequently asked
How long do baby great egrets stay in the nest?
About 21–25 days after hatching. Eggs take 23–26 days to hatch, so it is roughly 44–51 days from the last egg to the young leaving.
How many eggs does a Great Egret lay?
1–6 eggs per clutch, with 1 per season.
Where do great egrets nest?
Stick platform high in trees, in mixed colonies.
What should I do if I find a baby Great Egret on the ground?
If it has feathers and hops, it is a fledgling and its parents are almost certainly nearby — leave it. If it is naked or has pin feathers, put it back in the nest if you can. Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator if it is injured.