24”.  Has a shorter neck and legs than Little Egret making it more compact

25 ½ “

Loose tuft of shorter plumes on the hindcrown. In winter an adult usually shows a trace of this tuft

2 (sometimes 3) wiry plumes

Yellow with matching yellow iris

Bluish-gray lores

The yellow of the lores connects across the forehead, forming a bridge of bare skin between the base of the bill and the crown feathering

Feathering begins at the base of the culmen

Very slight downward droop

Longer, thicker and straighter than Snowy

Shows a more extensive throat feathering out on the lower mandible

Yellow feet typically extend up the back of the tarsus to the tibia unlike most Little’s.

Some juveniles have been seen to show this

Adult winter and juvenile Snowy’s usually show a darker upper mandible, that contrasts with a lighter lower mandible

Had a more rounded head with the peak being well forward

Forehead tends to slope back to a flatter crown that is peaked further back

Shorter neck with fuller lower neck feathering