Little Egrets

Little Egret Flying, note the yellow feet

One of the more common member of Egret family, Little Egrets are found nearly everywhere in rural Shimoga - you can see them near the fields, walking around on their long legs with snaky necks. But the best times to watch these birds is in the early morning, near a river like Tunga or Bhadra, where you will be able to watch their field characteristics for a long time without interruption.

Called Kokkare in Kannada, these are usually silent birds. Smaller than the Yellow-billed Egrets I covered in another post, these are distinguished by their larger cousins by a black beak. The legs are black as well, except for feet, which are yellow in colour.

This bird relies on frogs, fish, insects and smaller reptiles as food. Waiting patiently for fish and other prey to come close, and then quickly bending down with their long necks and picking up their prey is a sight made famous in many descriptions of this bird. Salim Ali notes that these birds were in demand in west for hat-making. He also notes that this trade has been made illegal.

Scientific name for this bird is Egretta Garzetta (Linnaeus).