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Great Egret
Kasmerodius albus
Stands about 40 inches tall. Represents one of the
largest and most common of the many species of wading birds
that return to the Barnegat Bay Estuary every spring to nest and breed
in the estuary. They come here in the spring as a
pair (male and female), and leave in the fall as five (typically three
offspring); an interesting concept of the biomass production of the
estuary. The Great Egret feeds primarily off of the fish of
the bay, such as Atlantic Silverside (spearing) and common killfish.
Their long legs and bill allow them to go forage into deeper waters to
reach food that other birds can not reach. The Great Egret can be seen far into the upper estuary.
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