Medium Egret

Ardea intermedia Wagler, 1829

Ardeidae — Herons, Bitterns

Medium Egret, Ardea intermedia, is a heron of the Palearctic and Oriental Region, breeding from India to Japan and the Greater Sundas, and reaching the Ryukyu Islands and the Philippines outside the breeding season. It was described by Wagler in 1829. It is a medium-sized bird, placed by some authorities in Egretta or Mesophoyx. In breeding plumage it shows a black bill, and the top of the legs is black rather than reddish. The sexes look alike. It is also known as the intermediate egret, smaller egret or median egret.

Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Ardeidae — Herons, Bitterns
Breeding range: Palearctic, Oriental Region: India to Japan and Greater Sundas
Nonbreeding range: to Ryukyu Is. (s Japan) and Philippines