Hybrid Egret

In late April we could watch several times an exemplar of egret with aberrant plumage in Northern Doñana, at Entremuros area (Seville). This bird shows grey feathers in diferent parts of their plumage. Nowadays, this egrets with partially grey plumages are considered hybrids involving Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) and Western Reef Egret (Egretta gularis).

The LittLe Egret is a heron really common in Doñana, distributed mainly along Europe, Asia and Australia.

The Western Reef Egrett is a coastal bird present in Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and Southwest Asia. The closest population to Spain is located in Mauritania.

Occasionally, pure exemplars of Western Reef Egret can be observed in Spain, but the hybrids are the most common. In the past the hybridization involving Little Egret and Western Reef Egret could be check in Spain, for example, in Albufera (Valencia) around 1990 or in Doñana in the 1970s.