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| Subspecies: | Unknown |
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| Est. World Population: | 5000-9999 |
| CITES Status: | NOT LISTED |
| IUCN Status: | Near Threatened |
| U.S. ESA Status: | NOT LISTED |
| Body Length: | |
| Tail Length: | |
| Shoulder Height: | |
| Weight: | |
| Top Speed: | |
| Jumping Ability: | (Horizontal) |
| Life Span: | in the Wild |
| Life Span: | in Captivity |
| Sexual Maturity: | (Females) |
| Sexual Maturity: | (Males) |
| Litter Size: | |
| Gestation Period: | |
Habitat:
The species frequents shallow coastal waters, salt-pans, open marine flats and shorelines; it is rarely recorded away from the coast. It breeds on islands and in mangroves. It feeds mainly on small fish and crustaceans, using a variety of feeding techniques. It will breed in almost all months of the year, with seasonal peaks that vary in timings across the range. The species is partially migratory, with non-breeding birds dispersing to the south in the Caribbean and along the Pacific coast.
Range:
Egretta rufescens occurs in Baja California and south along the Pacific coast of Mexico, the southern coast of the USA, through the Caribbean islands, particularly Cuba and Dominican Republic, and down the Central American coast to northern Colombia and Venezuela.
Conservation:
Conservation Actions Underway
The species became state-listed in Florida in 2016 and has benefited from habitat protection and restoration projects funded by the Deep Water Horizon settlement. Several important breeding sites in Florida received special protections in the form of the “Critical Wildlife Area” designation. The state also developed conservation measures and permitting guidelines to help ensure appropriate mitigation when take occurs. Nineteen of the 39 breeding sites identified on the Pacific coast of Mexico occur in protected areas (Palacios and Amador-Silva 2008). Ongoing studies are underway on the Caribbean coast of Mexico and the southern USA. A Reddish Egret Conservation Action Plan was established in 2012 (Wilson et al. 2012) that focused on conserving the species throughout its range and proposing processes to identify focal colony sites and foraging areas to form key priority locations for targeted conservation action. The Reddish Egret is federally listed in Mexico as a species with special protection status (Wilson et al. 2012).Conservation Actions Proposed
Clarify its population status in Cuba, Belize, other parts of the Caribbean and in northern South America. Implement long-term monitoring of populations to determine trends and support better conservation decision making (Wilson et al. 2012). Implement predator control at key colonies. Minimize human disturbance. Protect key habitat and foraging areas (Wilson et al. 2012).
The species became state-listed in Florida in 2016 and has benefited from habitat protection and restoration projects funded by the Deep Water Horizon settlement. Several important breeding sites in Florida received special protections in the form of the “Critical Wildlife Area” designation. The state also developed conservation measures and permitting guidelines to help ensure appropriate mitigation when take occurs. Nineteen of the 39 breeding sites identified on the Pacific coast of Mexico occur in protected areas (Palacios and Amador-Silva 2008). Ongoing studies are underway on the Caribbean coast of Mexico and the southern USA. A Reddish Egret Conservation Action Plan was established in 2012 (Wilson et al. 2012) that focused on conserving the species throughout its range and proposing processes to identify focal colony sites and foraging areas to form key priority locations for targeted conservation action. The Reddish Egret is federally listed in Mexico as a species with special protection status (Wilson et al. 2012).Conservation Actions Proposed
Clarify its population status in Cuba, Belize, other parts of the Caribbean and in northern South America. Implement long-term monitoring of populations to determine trends and support better conservation decision making (Wilson et al. 2012). Implement predator control at key colonies. Minimize human disturbance. Protect key habitat and foraging areas (Wilson et al. 2012).