NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Great Egret
Ardea alba Linnaeus, 1758
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The great egret (Ardea alba), also known as the common egret, large egret, great white egret, or great white heron, is a large, widely distributed egret. The four subspecies are found in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and southern Europe. Recently, it has also been spreading to more northern areas of Europe. Distributed across most of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world, it builds tree nests in colonies close to water.
Wikipedia contributors, Great egret; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:18:07.319174+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Ardea alba Linnaeus, 1758
- Name authority
- Linnaeus, 1758
- Common name
- Great Egret
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Pelecaniformes
- Family
- Ardeidae
- Genus
- Ardea
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPelecaniformes
- familyArdeidae Leach, 1820
- genusArdea Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesArdea alba Linnaeus, 1758
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Ardea. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow-billed EgretArdea brachyrhyncha (A. E. Brehm, 1854) | ArdeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Western Cattle EgretArdea ibis Linnaeus, 1758 | ArdeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Medium EgretArdea intermedia Wagler, 1829 | ArdeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Great Blue HeronArdea herodias Linnaeus, 1758 | ArdeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Humblot's HeronArdea humbloti Milne-Edwards & A. Grandidier, 1885 | ArdeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-headed HeronArdea melanocephala Children & Vigors, 1826 | ArdeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-necked HeronArdea pacifica Latham, 1801 | ArdeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Purple HeronArdea purpurea Linnaeus, 1766 | ArdeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Great-billed HeronArdea sumatrana Raffles, 1822 | ArdeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Goliath HeronArdea goliath Cretzschmar, 1829 | ArdeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Casmerodius albus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonym |
| Egretta alba (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Australia
Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China)
Middle America
North America
Oceania
South America
Southern Asia
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Linnaeus, & Carolus. (1758). Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, Secundum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, Cum Characteribus, Differentiis, Synonymis, Locis, 10th Edition, Vol. 1. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:GCHR. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.