White birds

Three white egrets by size

Great Egret is the big one: 89 to 104 centimeters, with a yellow bill and black legs. Snowy Egret measures 56 to 66 centimeters, with a black bill and black legs ending in bright yellow feet—the famous golden slippers. It walks or runs in shallow water and sometimes stirs the bottom with its feet to flush prey.

Western Cattle-Egret is crow-sized and chunkier, with a short yellow bill and legs that shift from yellow or pink in breeding season to dusky in winter. Breeding birds show buff patches on the head, breast, and back. It feeds in dry fields alongside livestock and was unknown in North America before 1952.

Deceptive white: young Little Blue Heron and rare egrets

Little Blue Heron juveniles are entirely white and closely resemble young Snowy Egrets. The key clue is the bare skin near the eye: gray on Little Blue, yellow on Snowy. Young Little Blues have dull greenish legs, and during molt they pass through a patchy white-and-blue calico phase that settles the question.

Little Egret and Western Reef-Heron are accidental visitors from the Old World. Little Egret is white with a slender black bill and black legs, and the western race has yellow feet like a Snowy Egret. Separating them requires good photos of the head and plumes, so any record should be documented carefully.

Tropicbirds and other white seabirds

White-tailed Tropicbird is white with very long central tail streamers (sometimes missing), a black eye mark, black wingtips, a black stripe on the inner wing, and a yellow or orange bill. Red-billed Tropicbird has a finely black-barred back and a red bill. Both nest on sea cliffs and cays, and Puerto Rico's DNER lists both as vulnerable.

Masked Booby is bright white with black wings and tail, a dark face, and a yellowish bill; it is also listed as vulnerable by the DNER. Terns such as Royal Tern and Roseate Tern round out the group in the seabirds guide. Roseate Tern is federally threatened, and its name refers to the pink flush on the breast in breeding plumage.

Ibises, pelicans, and geese: rare wetland whites

Adult White Ibis is white with a curved red bill, red face and legs, and black wingtips visible in flight. Juveniles are brown with a white belly and a pink bill. It sweeps its bill through the bottom and feeds by touch. It is listed as accidental in Puerto Rico, so a group of white birds with curved bills deserves photos.

American White Pelican, at about 6.5 kilograms, and Snow Goose, which has white and dark forms, are also accidentals. With large, rare birds, note size relative to other species, bill shape, leg color, and wing pattern in flight; those four notes are worth more than a distant photo without context.

Birds with only part of the plumage white

White-crowned Pigeon is dark slate, often looking black, with a striking white cap and green iridescence on the neck; juveniles have a grayish cap. It lives in mangroves, coastal and dry forest, and offshore cays, and eats fruit almost entirely in the trees. The IUCN lists it as Near Threatened.

White-winged Dove shows a white edge on the wing, a blue eye-ring, and red eyes. Other local names with “blanco” or “aliblanco,” such as Perico Aliblanco or Playero Aliblanco, describe a detail rather than a white bird. When the name and the bird do not seem to match, trust silhouette, bill, and habitat over the word.

What is the white egret of Puerto Rico called?

On the official list, Garza Blanca is the Snowy Egret: medium-sized, with a black bill and black legs ending in yellow feet. Puerto Rico also has other common white egrets: the large yellow-billed Great Egret, the compact Western Cattle-Egret that follows livestock, and the juvenile Little Blue Heron.

Which white egret follows cows?

The Western Cattle-Egret. It is smaller and chunkier than the other white egrets, with a short yellow bill, and feeds in dry fields on insects flushed by livestock. In breeding season it shows buff patches on the head, breast, and back.

How do you tell a Snowy Egret from a Great Egret?

Check the bill and legs. Great Egret is much larger (89–104 cm) with a yellow bill and all-black legs and feet. Snowy Egret measures 56–66 cm, with a black bill and bright yellow feet that contrast with black legs.

What white seabird with a long tail flies off Puerto Rico?

It is a tropicbird. White-tailed Tropicbird has a yellow or orange bill and a black stripe on the wing; Red-billed Tropicbird has a red bill and a black-barred back. Both nest on sea cliffs and cays, and Puerto Rico's DNER lists both as vulnerable.

Why does a Little Blue Heron look white?

Because it is a juvenile. Little Blue Herons start out white and pass through a patchy white-and-blue phase before turning blue-gray. They differ from young Snowy Egrets by gray skin near the eye and dull greenish legs.

Which Puerto Rico pigeon has a white head?

The White-crowned Pigeon: dark, nearly black, with a white cap and green sheen on the neck. It lives in mangroves, coastal forest, and cays and eats fruit in the trees. Juveniles have a grayish cap.