Nick Moran from the British Trust for Ornithology shares research revealing Little Egret numbers in the UK are significantly higher than previously reported, with more than 2,000 breeding pairs now thought to be established nationwide.
Birdwatchers across the UK have been charting the rise and rise of Little Egret since they first bred in 1996, when a pair raised three young on Brownsea Island in Dorset. However, scientists have been unable to accurately calculate the breeding population of this relative newcomer. Now, research by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has shed new light on both the numbers, and geographical spread of this eye-catching bird.
Whether you’re an avid parkrunner, a feeder of the ducks or simply an observant Thetford resident, you’ve probably spotted a dinky white heron along a local waterway at some point. At about one-third the size of a Grey Heron, the Little Egret is one of the smaller members of the heron family, though like most of their relatives, they can look quite big when they extend their long necks. As well as the pristine white plumage, another conspicuous feature is their jet black legs with contrasting bright yellow feet. They eat aquatic creatures including small fish such as minnows and sticklebacks, which can be very inquisitive. The canny egrets capitalise on this behaviour by shaking their brightly-coloured feet under the water, luring fish to investigate them – with fatal results!
Within just five years of Little Egret successfully breeding in Dorset, the UK breeding population exceeded 100 pairs and they reached our area in the mid 2000s, when they began breeding near Lakenheath. By 2015, there were over 1,000 nesting pairs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The first Scottish breeding took place in 2020, putting Little Egret firmly on the map as a UK-wide breeding bird. Using mathematical techniques that account for data gaps, BTO researchers concluded that the Little Egret population is considerably higher than the totals reported and it is now thought that there are more than 2,000 pairs of Little Egret breeding in the UK.
Unlike many other larger birds, Little Egrets can breed at just one year old; this, coupled with the absence of competition from other egrets following colonisation, probably helped them spread so fast. Climate change is also likely to have influenced this expansion, with more Little Egrets able to survive during increasingly mild winters.
The BTO scientists behind this study hope they will now be able to apply these new and improved methods for estimating population size to similar colonising species, such as Great White Egret, Cattle Egret and Spoonbill. By better understanding the increases and spread of these wetland species, conservationists should be able to provide better habitat and protection as they become a familiar component of our birdlife in an ever-changing environment.
Nick Moran
