Little Egret

The little egret is a slender, pure white heron with a black bill and black legs ending in bright yellow feet — the easiest way to tell it apart from other white wading birds. Nimble and restless, it hunts in shallow water, shuffling its feet along the bottom to flush out small fish. In the nineteenth century, its long back plumes — the famous 'aigrettes' — were so prized for decorating hats that the species nearly went extinct. Today it is back in force across the Vendée marshes.