Rare to see intermediate egrets in Hangzhou

Today, I saw an intermediate egret in the creek in our community, Fuyang, Hangzhou (my hometown), China.

It is rare to see intermediate egrets in Hangzhou. Most the egrets found in Hangzhou are little egrets.

There are 13 species of egrets all over the world, which four of them are common in China: Great Egret, Intermediate Egret, little egret and Chinese Egret.

An immediate egret is characterized by a white body length of 60-70cm, yellow sides of the eyes,   bark fiber-like plumage on the back and lower part of the front neck, and a black mouth.

The bird is usually solitary and timid. When it flies, its neck shrinks to an "s" shape, its feet extended straight back, and beyond its tail. Its wings are agitated slowly, and it flies calmly and in a straight line.

A little egret is a kind of resident birds in Hangzhou. An immediate egret belongs to summer migratory bird in Hangzhou, which is rare.

At the end of March and the beginning of April every year, they move to the south of China to breed, and at the end of September and the beginning of October every year the will leave.

Maybe this immediate egret comes a little earlier due to the warmer winter season in Hangzhou this year.

Tip: Hassle-free Hangzhou Guided Tours

If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for Hangzhou Guided Tours:

Further Readings