"Running On Water" Reddish Egret - Species of Special Concern
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Threats
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, this species experienced a severe population decline, as it was hunted extensively for its plumes, which were then used in women's hats. Although it is now fully protected from hunting in the United States, the species is still recovering from the decimation of 100 years ago. The greatest threat to Reddish Egrets now is habitat degradation and destruction. Residential and commercial development along the Gulf of Mexico threatens the high-salinity coastal waters that this species prefers. Development modifies the hydrology of coastal wetlands, thus changing the natural processes found in these ecosystems, and reducing the food supply for Reddish Egrets and other birds.
Conservation
The Heron Specialist Group, an organization devoted to the study and conservation of herons, egrets, and bitterns, has identified Reddish Egrets as a "Vulnerable" species, meaning that while the species is not critically endangered or endangered, it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future. The bird is almost entirely restricted to the coast, where it occurs in the mangrove-bordered estuaries and coastal lagoons. Two color morphs occur, with the white morph (up to 20% of the population).
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