Reddish Egret

A permanent resident of the Louisiana coast, the reddish egret makes its home along salt and brackish water wetlands. Its long legs and neck help the egret feed by running with long strides through the shallow water and using their spear-like beak to stab their prey. Until the late 1800s, reddish egrets were hunted for their feathers, decimating the population. The species has since rebounded to roughly 2000 pairs nation-wide, making it the rarest heron in the U.S.; the biggest threat to the population currently includes climate change impacts, human intrusion into habitat, and pesticide runoff.