English: Little Egret
Russian: Малая белая цапля
German: Seidenreiher
French: Aigrette garzette
Mongolian: Хурган дэглээ
Japanese: コサギ (Ko-sagi)

Body length: 55-65 cm
Wing span: 88-106 cm

Habitat: Nests colonially in dense trees and bushes at shallow marshy lakes, rivers and coastal lagoons. Has recently colonized S England. A resident or short-moving species in W Eorope, but a migrant in E Takes fish, frogs, snails etc. From shallow lakes, fish ponds, flooded fields and so on, often in small groups.

Identification: Medium-sized white heron, closer in size to Cattle Egret than to Great Egret, but slim and elegant. Black legs with sharply contrasting bright yellow toes, unlike any other W Palearctic white heron (but see similar Reef Egret, and rare vagrant Snowy Egret). In flight, legs moderately projecting, wings look near centrally placed (great Egret very long-legged, wings ‘fixed well forward). Bill black; lores blue-grey for greater part of year, reddish during courtship period. In nuptial plumage delicate plumes formed by two elongated nape-feathers.