Great Egret

The great egret is the largest white heron in Europe — nearly as tall as a grey heron. Its long S-shaped neck and yellow bill make it easy to identify. Patient and stately, it wades slowly through shallow marshes in search of fish and frogs. Long a rarity in France, it has settled in the west since the 2000s and now breeds in the Vendée marshes. In winter, numbers swell with arrivals from the north and east.