The relatively small population of Great Egrets in Canada breed colonially in several central Canadian provinces, often nesting in mixed-species colonies on freshwater islands. Colony counts in the Great Lakes have greatly increased since the 1970s, and the discovery of new colonies in southern Canada may reflect an ongoing northward expansion of the breeding range (Peck 2007a, McCrimmon et al. 2011). This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
Following its near elimination due to hunting at the turn of the 20th century, legal protection of the Great Egret allowed its recovery and ongoing expansion (McCrimmon et al. 2011). Weather events, contaminants, and heavy metals may all impact regional populations in the United States, and foraging habitat may be limited by ongoing loss and degradation of wetlands, but threats specific to Canadian breeders have not been identified (McCrimmon et al. 2011). At some colonies, Great Egrets compete for nesting space with, and are sometimes displaced by, Double-crested Cormorants (D. Moore and C. Weseloh, ECCC, unpubl. data).
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.
