Various instances had been recorded of this fine egret straying into parts of Britain from Europe, but Gould sadly remarked that it was 'usually permitted but a brief sojurn, its attractive appearance soon causing it to become a victim to the gunner.'

The egret (foreground) is depicted 'just prior to the breeding season, when its plumes are in their highest state of development.' An adult in winter plumage is shown behind.

DISTRIBUTION: Nearly cosmopolitan in distribution. Breeds Netherlands (from 1970s) eastwards to Japan, south to Australia; also Africa south of the Sahara; southern North, Central and South America. European populations winter mostly in the north Mediterranean. Rare vagrant to Britain with few records before 1974, but regularly sighted since then