Data Zone
Taxonomic note
Ardea alba (del Hoyo and Collar 2014) was previously placed in the genus Casmerodius as C. albus. Casmerodius albus (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) was previously retained as a cross-regional species contra Christidis and Boles (2008) who moved C. albus into the genus Ardea and split it into two cross-regional species A. alba and A. modesta (note gender agreement of specific name for alba).
Taxonomic source(s)
AERC TAC. 2003. AERC TAC Checklist of bird taxa occurring in Western Palearctic region, 15th Draft. Available at: http://www.aerc.eu/DOCS/Bird_taxa_of_the_WP15.xls.
Cramp, S. and Simmons, K.E.L. (eds). 1977-1994. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The birds of the western Palearctic. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
SACC. 2005 and updates. A classification of the bird species of South America. Available at: https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm.
Turbott, E.G. 1990. Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand. Ornithological Society of New Zealand, Wellington.
| Critically Endangered | Endangered | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | - |
| Year | Category | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Least Concern | |
| 2012 | Least Concern | |
| 2009 | Least Concern | |
| 2008 | Least Concern | |
| 2004 | Least Concern | |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Least Concern | |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Least Concern | |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | does not normally occur in forest |
| Land-mass type | Average mass | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) | 346,000,000 km2 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding) | 340,000,000 km2 | medium |
| Severely fragmented? | no | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population size | 590000-2200000 mature individuals | poor | estimated | 2009 |
| Population trend | unknown | - | - | - |
| Generation length | 9.1 years | - | - | - |
Population justification: Estimate includes totals for 'Ardea modesta'. The European population of A. alba is estimated at 20,700-34,900 pairs, which equates to 41,500-69,900 mature individuals (BirdLife International 2015).
Trend justification: The overall population trend is uncertain, as some populations are decreasing, while others are increasing, stable fluctuating or have unknown trends (Wetlands International 2006). This species has undergone a large and statistically significant increase over the last 40 years in North America (177% increase over 40 years, equating to a 29% increase per decade; data from Breeding Bird Survey and/or Christmas Bird Count: Butcher and Niven 2007) Note, however, that these surveys cover less than 50% of the species's range in North America.
| Country/Territory | Presence | Origin | Resident | Breeding visitor | Non-breeding visitor | Passage migrant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Albania | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Algeria | extant | native | ||||
| Angola | extant | native | ||||
| Anguilla (to UK) | extant | native | ||||
| Antigua and Barbuda | extant | native | ||||
| Argentina | extant | native | ||||
| Armenia | extant | native | ||||
| Aruba (to Netherlands) | extant | native | ||||
| Australia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Austria | extant | native | yes | |||
| Azerbaijan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Bahamas | extant | native | ||||
| Bahrain | extant | native | yes | |||
| Bangladesh | extant | native | ||||
| Barbados | extant | native | ||||
| Belarus | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Belgium | extant | native | yes | |||
| Belize | extant | native | yes | |||
| Benin | extant | native | ||||
| Bhutan | extant | native | ||||
| Bolivia | extant | native | ||||
| Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (to Netherlands) | extant | native | ||||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | extant | native | ||||
| Botswana | extant | native | ||||
| Brazil | extant | native | ||||
| British Indian Ocean Territory | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Brunei | extant | native | ||||
| Bulgaria | extant | native | yes | |||
| Burkina Faso | extant | native | ||||
| Burundi | extant | native | ||||
| Cambodia | extant | native | ||||
| Cameroon | extant | native | ||||
| Canada | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Cayman Islands (to UK) | extant | native | ||||
| Central African Republic | extant | native | ||||
| Chad | extant | native | ||||
| Chile | extant | native | ||||
| China (mainland) | extant | native | ||||
| Christmas Island (to Australia) | extant | native | ||||
| Colombia | extant | native | ||||
| Comoros | extant | native | ||||
| Congo | extant | native | ||||
| Congo, The Democratic Republic of the | extant | native | ||||
| Costa Rica | extant | native | yes | |||
| Côte d'Ivoire | extant | native | ||||
| Croatia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Cuba | extant | native | ||||
| Curaçao (to Netherlands) | extant | native | ||||
| Cyprus | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Czechia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Denmark | extant | native | yes | |||
| Djibouti | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Dominica | extant | native | ||||
| Dominican Republic | extant | native | ||||
| Ecuador | extant | native | ||||
| Egypt | extant | native | ||||
| El Salvador | extant | native | ||||
| Equatorial Guinea | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Eritrea | extant | native | ||||
| Eswatini | extant | native | ||||
| Ethiopia | extant | native | ||||
| Falkland Islands (Malvinas) | extant | native | ||||
| Fiji | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Finland | extant | vagrant | ||||
| France | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| French Guiana | extant | native | ||||
| Gabon | extant | native | ||||
| Gambia | extant | native | ||||
| Georgia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Germany | extant | native | yes | |||
| Ghana | extant | native | ||||
| Greece | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Grenada | extant | native | ||||
| Guadeloupe (to France) | extant | native | ||||
| Guam (to USA) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Guatemala | extant | native | ||||
| Guinea | extant | native | ||||
| Guinea-Bissau | extant | native | yes | |||
| Guyana | extant | native | ||||
| Haiti | extant | native | ||||
| Honduras | extant | native | ||||
| Hong Kong (China) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Hungary | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| India | extant | native | ||||
| Indonesia | extant | native | ||||
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Iraq | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Ireland | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Israel | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Italy | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Jamaica | extant | native | yes | |||
| Japan | extant | native | ||||
| Jordan | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Kazakhstan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Kenya | extant | native | ||||
| Kuwait | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Kyrgyzstan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Laos | extant | native | ||||
| Latvia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Lebanon | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Lesotho | extant | native | ||||
| Liberia | extant | native | ||||
| Libya | extant | native | ||||
| Liechtenstein | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Luxembourg | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Macao (China) | extant | native | ||||
| Madagascar | extant | native | ||||
| Malawi | extant | native | ||||
| Malaysia | extant | native | ||||
| Maldives | extant | native | ||||
| Mali | extant | native | yes | |||
| Malta | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Martinique (to France) | extant | native | ||||
| Mauritania | extant | native | ||||
| Mayotte (to France) | extant | native | ||||
| Mexico | extant | native | ||||
| Micronesia, Federated States of | extant | native | yes | |||
| Moldova | extant | native | yes | yes | yes | |
| Mongolia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Montenegro | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Montserrat (to UK) | extant | native | ||||
| Morocco | extant | native | ||||
| Mozambique | extant | native | ||||
| Myanmar | extant | native | ||||
| Namibia | extant | native | ||||
| Nepal | extant | native | ||||
| Netherlands | extant | native | yes | |||
| New Caledonia (to France) | extant | vagrant | ||||
| New Zealand | extant | native | yes | |||
| Nicaragua | extant | native | ||||
| Niger | extant | native | ||||
| Nigeria | extant | native | ||||
| North Korea | extant | native | yes | |||
| North Macedonia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Northern Mariana Islands (to USA) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Norway | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Oman | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Pakistan | extant | native | ||||
| Palau | extant | native | yes | |||
| Palestine | extant | native | yes | |||
| Panama | extant | native | ||||
| Papua New Guinea | extant | native | yes | |||
| Paraguay | extant | native | ||||
| Peru | extant | native | ||||
| Philippines | extant | native | ||||
| Poland | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Portugal | extant | native | yes | |||
| Puerto Rico (to USA) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Qatar | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Romania | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Russia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Russia (Asian) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Russia (Central Asian) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Russia (European) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Rwanda | extant | native | ||||
| São Tomé e Príncipe | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Saudi Arabia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Senegal | extant | native | yes | |||
| Serbia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Seychelles | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Sierra Leone | extant | native | ||||
| Singapore | extant | native | ||||
| Sint Maarten (to Netherlands) | extant | native | ||||
| Slovakia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Slovenia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Solomon Islands | extant | native | yes | |||
| Somalia | extant | native | ||||
| South Africa | extant | native | yes | |||
| South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands | extant | native | ||||
| South Korea | extant | native | ||||
| South Sudan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Spain | extant | native | yes | |||
| Sri Lanka | extant | native | ||||
| St Barthelemy (to France) | extant | native | ||||
| St Helena (to UK) | extant | vagrant | ||||
| St Kitts and Nevis | extant | native | ||||
| St Lucia | extant | native | ||||
| St Martin (to France) | extant | native | ||||
| St Pierre and Miquelon (to France) | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| St Vincent and the Grenadines | extant | native | ||||
| Sudan | extant | native | ||||
| Suriname | extant | native | ||||
| Sweden | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Switzerland | extant | native | yes | |||
| Syria | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Taiwan, China | extant | native | ||||
| Tajikistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Tanzania | extant | native | yes | |||
| Thailand | extant | native | ||||
| Timor-Leste | extant | native | yes | |||
| Togo | extant | native | ||||
| Trinidad and Tobago | extant | native | ||||
| Tunisia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Türkiye | extant | native | yes | |||
| Turkmenistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) | extant | native | ||||
| Uganda | extant | native | ||||
| Ukraine | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| United Arab Emirates | extant | native | yes | |||
| United Kingdom | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Uruguay | extant | native | yes | |||
| USA | extant | native | yes | |||
| Uzbekistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Venezuela | extant | native | ||||
| Vietnam | extant | native | yes | |||
| Virgin Islands (to UK) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Virgin Islands (to USA) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Yemen | extant | native | yes | |||
| Zambia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Zimbabwe | extant | native |
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Artificial/Aquatic - Salt Exploitation Sites | suitable | breeding |
| Grassland | Subtropical/Tropical Seasonally Wet/Flooded | major | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Mud Flats and Salt Flats | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Mud Flats and Salt Flats | suitable | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands | major | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) | major | breeding |
| Altitude | 0 - 1500 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate change & severe weather | Habitat shifting & alteration | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Future | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Purpose | Scale |
|---|---|
| Food - human | subsistence, national |
| Handicrafts, jewellery, etc. | international |
| Pets/display animals, horticulture | subsistence, national |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Great White Egret Ardea alba. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/great-white-egret-ardea-alba on 19/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 19/12/2024.